


Choices

by HiddenTrekker



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2018-11-02 05:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 61,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10938447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenTrekker/pseuds/HiddenTrekker
Summary: How long can 1 person be expected to wait?Endgame didn't happen, Voyager is still trying to get home and with no end in sight frustrations are starting to boil over for the Command team





	1. Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Starting just after Endgame should have happened... only it didn't, Voyager went straight past that Borg nebula and never looked back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all started so innocently

_She had caught him in the turbo lift after their bridge duty had ended, they hadn't been alone together for longer than a meeting for a while, and the tension between them was noticeable._

_"Are you free for dinner this evening Chakotay?" Kathryn smiled at him, hoping he wouldn't say no, fearing that he would. They had been distant and tense lately, she was no longer certain of his replies._

_"I am as it happens" Chakotay was stunned at the request, and at the smile she gave him when he said had agreed. He had missed her smile._

_"Excellent!" She was genuinely thrilled he said yes and felt her heart beat a little faster at the prospect of an evening with her closest friend "My replicator is actually behaving itself currently, for more than just coffee anyway, I thought I might try the new pizza recipes that Tom was telling us about the other day. Any requests for toppings?" She was trying to keep her tone light and joking with him... after all her replicator was infamous among the senior staff for its disagreements with her, although even it didn't stop her from having a caffeine hit in the morning before she made her way to the bridge._

_"Anything, as long as there is no Leola root in sight" They both smiled, all that had been on the menu in the mess hall lately had Leola root incorporated somehow in to it, and all of the crew were getting sick of it. Kathryn suspected she would start getting requests to increase peoples replicator rations so they could use them for edible meals._

_"Deal!" Kathryn laughed "1900 OK for you?"_

_"Perfect, I will bring the wine" Chakotay could feel some of the tension that had been between them for the last few months lift a little._

_"You're on, oh and Chakotay, no uniforms tonight. Let's just be Kathryn and Chakotay not Captain and Commander OK?" She didn't normally request no uniforms, but tonight needed to be more about them and their friendship rather than the running of the ship, and no uniforms felt like a good way to draw the line between the two._

_"OK, see you at 1900...Kathryn" His voice became huskier at the use of her name; it sent a shiver down her spine, like it used to. When had that stopped she wondered._  

_** Chakotay ** _

She had been so casual about it, like there hadn't been a distance growing between them for months, almost as they were back to how they were at the beginning of this never ending journey.

Her lopsided smile had devastated him as it always had; he hadn't seen it in so long that it took his breath away for a brief moment. He had felt guilty about the way his heart skipped a beat when he saw it, after all wasn't he getting involved with Seven? 

Things with Seven were so new and his feelings for Kathryn had been there for so long now they almost felt like an essential part of his body, like an arm or a leg. He couldn't imagine a day when they weren't there.

Taunting him. 

Chakotay paced the open space in his quarters, trying to steady his racing heart. Why was he so nervous? It was only dinner after all, what could possibly happen? 

He had spent time choosing his civilian clothing for tonight, in the end he had selected his light linen shirt and tan trousers, something he had last worn on New Earth, subconsciously reminding himself of happier times in his relationship with Kathryn, a time when they had been at ease and happy in each other’s company, even flirtatious...when something could have come from the feelings he had for her. 

The wine he had decided on was sent to Kathryn's replicator as an order, but he had also replicated a bottle to take with him just in case her replicator was in pieces on her floor when he got there, which had happened on a few occasions. Their dinner plans had ended up being sandwiches and wine while attempting to repair the malfunction that had occurred without bothering B’Elanna Torres and risking her Klingon anger over ruined plans with Tom or some project that had been interrupted. 

 **The time is now 1900**  the computer spoke, breaking him from his thoughts swirling round in his mind.

He took a deep calming breath, time to go and see where the evening took them. Chakotay was hoping back to a comfortable friendship but that was in the hands of the spirits.

_** Kathryn ** _

He had agreed! 

She wasn't sure he would but it gave her hope that things between them could be repaired. After everything that had gone on lately, although if she was honest with herself it was probably from the Borg alliance against Species 8472 that had first started this slippery slope of mistrust and pulling away from each other. Now with everything from the Equinox incident when she had been close to stepping over a line she could never have returned from, Quarra when the whole crew except from Neelix and Chakotay had their minds wiped and she had formed a romantic relationship with Jaffen, if she was going down the relationships she had that could have caused this rift with Chakotay she might as well throw Kashyk, although nothing more than a kiss had happened there, and Michael, the hologram from Fair Haven she had a brief fling with, in to the mix. All the while she had been holding Chakotay at arm’s length from a relationship more than the close friends they were. Perhaps that is what had damaged their bond more than any of the hostile species and brief romantic entanglements ever could have. 

Kathryn needed to find out, but had to tread lightly with that subject, after all according to the rumours that were making their way around the ship Chakotay had recently started a relationship with Seven of Nine, which had hurt Kathryn, and made her realise that she needed to do something to salvage their friendship as he hadn't felt he had been able to tell her face to face, rather to let the rumour mill do that for him. 

Once she had got back to her quarters she had programmed the pizzas in to her replicator, and said a silent prayer to the technology gods that her replicator stayed on her side tonight. She stripped off her uniform, placed it in to the refresher ready for tomorrow and walked in to her bathroom.

"Computer activate sonic shower" The shower sprang in to life, taking away the grime from the day of crawling in Jefferies tubes and making repairs with some of the engineering teams, as well as her bridge shift, although most of that she had spent in her ready room. 

She stepped out and walked over to her wardrobe, pushing aside the few uniforms and her dress uniform to one side to reveal her sparse civilian selection of clothing, it had grown a little since they had entered the Delta Quadrant, a few items collected from friendly planets market places had expanded her collection, after all they weren't expecting to be spending any longer than 3 weeks in the Badlands not a possibly 70 year mission home.

Kathryn decided on a light weight blue dress, it was one of her favourites, and she knew it complimented her figure well without being too sexy. She still wanted to look nice but this was a dinner between friends, not lovers after all, although who knows what could have happened between them if she had given in to how she felt about her first officer on New Earth, but she hadn't.

She fixed her hair and reapplied her makeup, lighter than usual, just enough to cover the tiredness that seemed to constantly mask her features these days. All this time leading her crew home had taken their toll on her. She no longer looked fresh in the mornings after a well rested night, now it was a fitful sleep often waking up several times throughout the night and relying more and more on coffee to get her through the days, especially now she didn't feel like she had Chakotay by her side currently. 

At 1900 her door chimed.

**

_"Come" Kathryn called from the table, lighting the last candle_

_Chakotay stepped through her door, she knew it was him._

_"Hi" He breathed, the sight of her made his heart skip a beat. The candle light making the red and gold tones in her hair shimmer more than he had seen in a long time, the blue of her dress made her eyes seem deeper blue and the fabric gently skimmed her hips, showing off the figure her uniform hid away. He hadn't seen her like this in months._

_"Hi" Kathryn smiled at him, before she realised what he was wearing and her smile reached her eyes, she loved that on him and remembered it from their time on New Earth._

_"You’re right on time, as usual. So far my replicator is playing ball. I hope you are hungry"_

_"Famished, I skipped lunch today to go over the reports Tuvok has been hounding me with for weeks" Chakotay smiled, they both knew what Tuvok was like when he wanted something done. Chakotay looked at Kathryn and saw she was smiling too._

_"Dinner will be a couple of minutes, would you like to pour the wine" Why was it feeling tense again._

_Chakotay concentrated on filling the wine glasses, eyeing them intensely, trying not to watch Kathryn as she moved around the table, the hem of her dress swaying around her legs. He found he was reminding himself about Seven, he shouldn't be having thoughts about Kathryn’s legs when he had Seven and her skin tight cat suits waiting for him tomorrow for a date. Maybe it was just because Kathryn was so often in her uniform that covered her entire body it was a case of seeing the unknown revealed he told himself. Yes that must be it._

_Kathryn moved to the replicator and tapped the few buttons to create the pizza's she had previously programmed in, both were vegetarian so they could be placed in the middle of the table and shared rather than keeping them separate._

_More social that way._

_The replicator hummed in to life and the pizzas materialised on the panel below, Kathryn moved them to the middle of the table and collected 2 smaller plates, placing them either side so they could talk comfortably._

_"They smell wonderful Kathryn, did Tom program these in?" Chakotay asked, hoping to break the tension that he could feel building_

_"Apparently so, although I suspect that B’Elanna helped him out, remember the Nachos he programmed in last time" Kathryn chuckled remembering the bowl of orange cheese and the few crisps that had materialised at one of the helmsman’s movie nights._

_"There was so much orange cheese hanging around after the movie finished that you could have filled a cargo bay with it" Chakotay laughed at the memory_

_"Well, tuck in; let’s not let them get cold. I can't imagine cold pizza tasting as nice" Kathryn reached over taking a slice of the pizza with mushrooms and olives on, while Chakotay opted for the mixed vegetable topping._

_They chatted easily about some of the lighter goings on aboard Voyager, the latest prank that Harry Kim and Tom had pulled on Tuvok with one of his holo programmes, this time the Vulcan monks had been singing old Earth Sea Songs with some amendments made to the lyrics, along the lines of "What do you do with a drunken Vulcan" and the like, Neelix's latest attempts to use Leola root as an oatmeal for porridge at breakfast, thus completing his attempts to get Leola root in to every one of the crews meals, Kathryn felt sorry for those crew members who were saving their replicator rations up and having to eat the root at every meal, maybe she would up peoples rations for food specifically, they spoke of the Doctors request for another holo lecture, this time on the journey through the anatomy of species 8472 on the cellular level, both Kathryn and Chakotay remembered his last lecture on his away missions, and Chakotay's failure to set Kathryn’s escape plan in to action as they had planned._

_The pizza and wine finished they decided to move over to the sofa under the viewport and relax with the 2nd bottle of wine that Chakotay had sent to Kathryn's replicator, both of them enjoying the evening and not wanting it to end._

_Chakotay settled on the sofa, one arm thrown casually over the back, Kathryn settled at his side, turned to face him with her legs curled up under her. Chakotay tapped his lap indicating she should put her legs over it, which she did, grateful at being able to stretch her tired muscles._

_"Chakotay..."Kathryn paused, unsure how to bring up the subject of Seven of Nine and the rumours she had heard._

_"Kathryn?"_

_"I may be stepping out of line here, but I have heard certain things about 2 members of the crew, 2 who I consider particularly special and close to me." She stopped, hoping Chakotay would understand what she was saying, without actually saying it._

_"I haven't heard anything, but then I have a pretty good idea who the crew members are that you are talking about. Kathryn, Seven and I have been exploring taking our friendship further. I haven't told you about it as it is very early on and I didn't want to make a big deal of it if it isn't going to go anywhere" Chakotay spoke quickly, feeling like he had to get this out and move on otherwise it might jeopardise their friendship further._

_“That’s understandable Chakotay, and we haven’t exactly been on chatting terms recently. So I can understand why you wouldn’t want to tell me, but as a friend I had hoped you would want to tell me that you were happy.” The confirmation of his relationship with Seven hurt her more than she thought it would, Kathryn squashed the hurt down again._

_“You are letting me off lightly Kathryn, I should have told you. I just haven’t decided what it is yet between Seven and me.” He tugged on his ear lobe in a familiar gesture, usually when he was feeling uncomfortable._

_Kathryn placed her hand on his arm, her thumb gently stroking it. The simple gesture set his skin on fire, he had missed her touching him, she hadn’t been as affectionate with him lately, her once simple touches to his arms, shoulders or chest had stopped over the past year or so, which showed there had been a shift in their relationship._

_“I’m glad you are happy Chakotay. One of us should be able to get what we want.” Kathryn looked away from him, she didn’t want him to see the sadness that she knew would be in her eyes._

_She wasn’t fast enough; he saw the hurt flash across her eyes. It wasn’t his fault; she had been the one to put the barriers up, to deny them the relationship that they both knew they wanted, all because of ‘Star Fleet Protocols’, but he had never heard them of stopping other Captain’s from finding happiness even if it was with a member of their crew. It certainly hadn’t stopped Kirk and Picard._

_“I don’t know what I am Kathryn... All I know is that I was lonely, and frustrated waiting for the one woman I want but can’t have. It is time for me to move on and try to find happiness while I can” He sighed, he didn’t want to blame Kathryn but he wasn’t about to lie to her either, he was tired of hiding his true feelings from her._

_“I know, I am tired of waiting too!” She looked his straight in the eyes, blue-grey searching deep brown for understanding in what she was saying. “But I have left it too late, and that is something I will have to live with” Kathryn felt sad, but was glad that the conversation was being had, rather than the polite dance around the topic they had been doing for years. She felt the need to curl her legs back under her, to physically pull away from him, to get some distance. Chakotay reluctantly let her draw her legs back, instantly missing the weight of her legs on his lap._

_“Well... like I said Chakotay, if you are happy then I am happy for you. I never wanted to stand in the way of you finding someone... e-even if it can’t be me” Kathryn’s voice caught on the lump forming in her throat._

_Suddenly Chakotay wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and tell her that Seven meant nothing to him compared to her, but he didn’t. Instead he decided simply to rest his hand on her shoulder and try to give her strength that way. She smiled at him and gave a brief nod that she was OK again, slowly breathing to calm her racing heart._

_“It’s getting late” Chakotay said, sensing that they both now needed space to figure out the meaning of what had been said this evening and how that would impact their relationship going further._

_“Yes, it is. I guess I will see you on the bridge in the morning before the senior staff meeting at 0900” Kathryn’s command mask was slowly slipping in to place, she used it often to hide behind when things for ‘Kathryn’ got too difficult ‘Captain Janeway’ took over for her._

_“Of course Kathryn, I will bring the coffee. I hear Neelix has been playing with his ‘better than coffee, coffee substitute again, and I doubt that it will meet your high standards” Chakotay tried to lighten the mood by making a small joke, he was rewarded by a lopsided grin for his efforts._

_“Thank you” They both got up from the sofa, and headed towards the door. On impulse Chakotay stepped in front of Kathryn and pulled her in to his arms. He felt her stiffen briefly before she relaxed in to him._

_“We will be OK Kathryn, I will always be here to support you, no matter what is going on in my personal life or yours” He spoke in to her hair, breathing in the scents of Lavender and Jasmine she had used in the bath._

_“I know we will Chakotay” She pulled away from him, instantly missing the warmth of his body against hers “Well, goodnight” She straightened, allowing the Command mask fall completely in to place, guarding herself from the hurt she knew she would feel once he left her quarters._

_Chakotay nodded and stepped away, turning and leaving her quarters._


	2. After Dinner Chats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the admission at dinner, how will they react

_** Seven of Nine ** _

She had seen him leave Captain Janeway’s quarters. It was not unusual for the 2 commanding officers to have dinner together, but this was the first time that Chakotay had cancelled plans with her in order to spend time with the Captain. Seven could feel jealousy and hurt begin to bubble in her chest, these were feelings she was not accustomed to.

Since the Doctor had removed the failsafe she had been able to feel a wider range of emotions, like every other individual onboard Voyager, including the Vulcan crew members, even if they, like her, didn’t show it. Many had commented that Seven of Nine was more Vulcan than she was human because of this. As a result only the Doctor and she knew that the failsafe had been removed, and until she decided otherwise it would stay that way.

With her relationship with Chakotay still so new, she was unsure how she should be feeling about being cancelled on in favour of another woman, particularly one that the whole crew suspected he had romantic feelings for.

Seven took a deep breath and slowly released it; she didn’t want to let her newly experienced emotions get the better of her when she spoke to Chakotay about his actions this evening. After all she was not a person who shied away from letting others know her opinions on subjects or to hide how she was feeling from others either.

She stepped forward and headed for Chakotay’s door, she pressed the entry buzzer and waited, holding her breath in case he turned her away, or worse thought she was the Captain and be disappointed when he discovered she wasn’t.

_**_

_** Chakotay ** _

Well that dinner hadn’t exactly gone how he had planned. He didn’t know that Kathryn had heard about his relationship with Seven of Nine through the Voyager rumour mill, and he certainly hadn’t expected Kathryn to bring up their relationship or her feelings for him. She very rarely even acknowledged that she had feelings for him other than as a close friend.

He had cancelled plans with Seven of Nine in order to have dinner with Kathryn, something he knew Seven would be unhappy about if she discovered it. Which he had no doubt that she would somehow, again the Voyager rumour mill would take care of that.

He started to strip off his clothes and was heading for the shower when his door chimed. Surely that couldn’t be Kathryn, could it? Did she want to continue their conversation and resolve their feelings once and for all? Chakotay headed towards the door, pulling his shirt back on over his head as he went.

“Come in” He called, the doors swished open to reveal the only other person on the ship he wanted to see other than Kathryn. Their resident ex-Borg drone stood there in her usual cat suit, a smile on her face.

“Good evening Commander” Seven said as she stepped inside his quarters, wanting to appear professional until the doors closed behind her.

_**_

_“Seven, what a surprise, I wasn’t expecting to see you this evening.” Chakotay was unsure why she was there, was she there to check up on him?_

_“I thought I would come by and see if you were available tomorrow for our date that you cancelled this evening” Seven stated, trying to hide the hurt she was feeling, at least for the moment._

_“I’m sorry I cancelled our plans Seven, Kathryn invited me for dinner and as we haven’t been on the best of terms lately I thought it was important to go and attempt to repair our friendship. Both personal and professional. You understand don’t you?” Chakotay knew it wasn’t the complete truth, in actual fact he hadn’t been looking forward to the date this evening with Seven and was thinking of cancelling anyway, Kathryn’s invitation to dinner had just been the perfect excuse._

_Seven frowned, at least Chakotay hadn’t hidden that he was with the Captain this evening, obviously preferring the Captains company to her own. She couldn’t help but be upset and again feel the heat of jealousy rise within her._

_“Yes I understand” She lied “The Captains friendship is important to you, and in order for that friendship to function you required time with her this evening, rather than time with me” Her voice grew hard, returning to the Borg like way she usually spoke to other members of the crew in, short and efficient, normally with Chakotay she tried to be more casual and human._

_“That’s not true Seven, I wanted to see you” He was lying too, hoping that she wouldn’t pick up on it “It is just for the good of the running of this ship it is better if Kathryn and I are on good terms, a fractured Command team is an inefficient Command team” He was hoping that he was putting the way he was feeling in to terms that Seven could easily understand._

_“I said I understood Commander” Seven was hurt, she only used his rank with him when they were on duty, but now it felt like he was being more like Commander Chakotay than her Chakotay._

_“Seven...” Chakotay looked briefly at the floor, wishing it would swallow him up “It is late, and this conversation isn’t exactly going anywhere” He tugged on his ear lobe, wondering how the ex-drone was going to take the next bit “I think we should call it a night and speak again tomorrow or the next day, when we have both had time to process this evening and cool down. I think you should leave”_

_The hurt was instant in her eyes, Chakotay felt awful that he had been the cause of it, but he needed space from Seven and time to process what had happened between him and Kathryn that night. He needed to decide if he wanted to go any further with Seven, if there was a chance with Kathryn._

_Seven nodded, “As you wish Commander. Goodnight” She turned and left his quarters without another word, she was determined to get back to the Cargo bay before she allowed the feelings swirling inside her to take over._

_Chakotay stood in the middle of his quarters, fixed to the spot, staring at the closed doors. Had he just made a mistake or could that have been the best decision he could have made? He knew only time would tell, but for now he needed a good night rest before he faced Kathryn and Seven in the morning._

_** Kathryn ** _

She was surprised at her own admissions to Chakotay over the cause of their evening together. She would normally have blamed the wine, but it was synthahol. Maybe it was just being close to him again, the feel of the warmth from his body, it used to make her loose herself when they had first started this journey together, and had almost got the better of her on New Earth. It probably would have done if Tuvok, with his impeccable Vulcan timing, hadn’t of rescued them with a vaccine.

She got up from the sofa, collected the plates and glasses from dinner and placed them in the replicator to be recycled, blew out the now burnt down candles before moving towards her bedroom. She briefly considered going to Chakotay in his quarters and continuing their conversation, but she got the impression from him that he needed time.

Kathryn had been disappointed to learn about his relationship with Seven from the Voyager grapevine, but once he had explained why he hadn’t told her she had understood, she hadn’t exactly been open with him about her relationships either lately, not that she had been in one since her brief fling with the holographic bartender Michael Sullivan. She had tried to sound supportive of Chakotay’s relationship with the tall blonde, why where they always blonde with him? He claimed that he loved her and she was more auburn than blonde. Could it have been the realisation that she could lose Chakotay to Seven that had caused her sudden admission to him?

She paced, wondering if she had made a fragile relationship even worse by her actions this evening or if it had been what they needed. The thoughts went round and round in her head, she knew she wouldn’t sleep if she headed to bed, instead she decided to run a bath, hoping that soaking in the hot bubbly water would help calm her thoughts.

She moved to her bathroom and started to run the hot water, carefully selecting her favourite oils to help her unwind, Lavender to help her sleep and Jasmine because it was her favourite scent. Kathryn undressed and stepped slowly in to the running water, slipping in to the hot water, feeling her tense muscles ease instantly and her mind start to quieten.

After a while the water started to cool to an uncomfortable temperature so Kathryn decided it was time to get out and attempt to get some rest tonight. She had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a long day. She dried off, wrapping her towel around her body she walked to her dresser, opened a draw and after a little digging through the clothes inside found the item she was looking for, Chakotay’s linen shirt from New Earth. She had found it among her things when they had returned to the ship, and although she had every intention of returning it to him, it had never quite happened. Probably because it was one of her favourite items to sleep in, it gave her comfort when she needed it, but it no longer smelt of Chakotay, however just knowing it was his was enough to make Kathryn happy.

Slipping the shirt on, Kathryn felt instantly calm, and a wave of tiredness washed over her. She stretched and headed to her bed, sliding under the standard Star Fleet issue sheet, feeling Chakotay’s shirt brushing against her bare legs as she moved. Kathryn was fully expecting a night of tossing and turning as her brain re-engaged and thoughts of this evening started going through her head again, however as soon as her head landed on the pillow Kathryn slipped in to a deep dreamless sleep.


	3. The Morning After

**_ Kathryn _ **

**The time is 0600** the computer chimed

Kathryn woke with a start, she didn’t remember going to sleep, and couldn’t remember the last time her alarm had woken her rather than switching it off well ahead of the time she had set it for.

She stretched and stood up from the bed, feeling her leg muscles tighten after the hours of crawling through the Jefferies tubes the day before, it had been a while since she had done that many hours in the confined spaces. B’Elanna had asked her if she wanted to get off the bridge again today and assist her with further repairs, however Kathryn thought she might give it a miss and focus on the reports that she had neglected yesterday. It also meant that she could hide away in her Ready Room rather than be sat inches from Chakotay for the whole bridge shift as nothing except a Red Alert would mean she would have to leave.

While getting her uniform on and applying her makeup she allowed her Captains mask to slip in to place, her armour against the personal emotional battle being fought inside her, turning her stomach to knots. Kathryn checked her appearance in the mirror, removing the smudge of lipstick that was out of place and nodding to herself that she was happy with it. She turned and moved towards the replicator, “Coffee, Black” she ordered the machine, it hummed to life and her coffee order appeared on the pad. She took it and settled on the sofa looking out the viewport at the stars rushing past her, taking a moment of calm before she headed out to the Senior Staff meeting and the tasks that lay ahead of her, those she knew about and the unknown.

**_ Chakotay _ **

**The time is 0700**

He had been restless over night, and woken up with the sheets all twisted around him, a light layer of sweat across his skin. Although he couldn’t remember what he had dreamed about he was left with an uncertain feeling, he knew it was going to haunt him until he could remember what it was that had caused it.

Chakotay got up, “Computer activate Sonic Shower”, the computer beeped in response and the sonic shower sprang in to life, he stepped in, feeling the sticky sweat being removed from his body, the fog of sleep going with it. Once the cycle was complete and he felt cleansed he stepped out and got dressed. He briefly debated if he was going to have breakfast alone in his quarters or head to the Mess Hall and see who was around for company. He knew that he wouldn’t see Kathryn or Seven there as neither frequented the Mess Hall, unless Kathryn had run out of replicator rations for her morning coffee anyway.

He decided that he needed company, and Neelix’s cheery personality would be just what he needed to help lift his mood and perhaps ease the knot in his stomach.

Upon his arrival at the Mess Hall he found it quite busy, this was a good sign that the breakfast this morning was edible. There were a few tables left empty, however he also saw Tom, Harry and B’Elanna occupying one table and moved across to join them.

**

_“Good morning all” Chakotay greeted them casually._

_“Hi Chakotay, would you like to join us?” B’Elanna asked “Tom was just telling us about the latest Captain Proton adventure he wants to try, I think he is hoping to rope the Captain in again to play Arachnia” She laughed. The image of Kathryn in her Queen Arachnia costume flashed through Chakotay’s mind, he had to stop them quickly to prevent his reaction to it becoming obvious to everyone at the table._

_“I would love to, what’s good to eat this morning?” Chakotay asked, trying to briefly change the subject_

_“The pancakes aren’t bad this morning Commander, think Neelix is getting the hang of them now...and there is no Leola root in them today which is a bonus” Harry chimed in_

_“Sounds good. Can I get anyone anything while I am there?”_

_“I would love another cup of coffee if you don’t mind Chakotay” B’Elanna was never going to pass up an opportunity of her friend and commanding officer getting her a cup of coffee_

_Chakotay nodded at her request and crossed the room to collect his breakfast and 2 cups of coffee, he had a feeling his usual cup of tea wouldn’t quite cut it today._

_“Good morning Commander! What can I get you today?” Neelix asked with his usual cheerful tone, it never failed to brighten Chakotay’s mood and for that he could never thank the Talaxian enough._

_“Morning Neelix, I hear the pancakes are particularly good this morning, so how about some of those and 2 cups of coffee please.” Chakotay felt his mood lift and he no longer had to feign cheer._

_“Coming right up, I will bring them over if you like” Neelix busied himself getting the Commanders breakfast together_

_“Thank you”_

_Returning to the table, Chakotay glanced towards the door when he saw Seven walk through, absorbed in a PADD she was working on. Probably some Astrometrics problem she was working on Chakotay thought. She looked up from her work and scanned the room, her gaze falling on him; she nodded in acknowledgement of his presents in the room, he nodded back before continuing his way back to the table, hoping the others hadn’t noticed the interaction with Seven._

_He was wrong, Tom Paris, the ever observant when it came to peoples personal lives on board had seen everything._

_“Something going on with Seven, Chakotay?”_

_“No, why do you ask?” Chakotay was on edge, he didn’t feel like explaining the current situation between himself and Seven, knowing that it would be round the ship faster than Warp 9 and Kathryn would probably know about it before he even reached the bridge._

_“Just couldn’t help but notice the tension between you just then. There was no thinking that you and she were on ‘friendly’ terms lately” Tom raised an eyebrow, almost high enough to rival the Vulcan crew members._

_“Tom, leave Chakotay alone” B’Elanna warned, smiling playfully at her husband and Chakotay._

_“There was no tension Tom, and she and I are friends, regardless of what you may have heard from the rumour mill” Chakotay gave a half hearted chuckle, just as Neelix appeared at his side with a tray of pancakes and the 2 coffees._

_“Your breakfast Commander” He cheerfully announced “Tom I have been thinking about the latest Captain Proton story... how about one that includes a new side kick, perhaps a daring ex-trader who helps him navigate around a new dimension?”_

_“I suppose you have someone in mind for who would be this new side kick?” Tom gave a side glance towards Harry, his current side kick for Captain Proton, Buster Kinkaid._

_“Well I do have experience after all” Neelix said playfully_

_“Thanks Neelix, I will give it some thought, but you are always welcome to join Harry and me on the next adventure of Captain Proton if your duties here allow it.” Tom realised that he wasn’t offering out of politeness but more because he actually enjoyed the Talaxian’s company._

_“Thank you Tom, Harry, I would enjoy that. Please let me know when you are next planning a trip to the holodeck” He turned to Chakotay “Enjoy your breakfast” He then returned to the kitchen as the line of crew members was still increasing, Chakotay took this as another sign that the food must be good this morning._

_While they continued to eat the conversation moved towards how they could incorporate Neelix in to the Captain Proton stories, the ideas ranged from passing trader to new diplomat from Earth to turned member of Chaotica’s army._

_Once they had all finished breakfast Harry, Tom and Chakotay all headed for the Bridge, while B’Elanna went to engineering, wanting to check on the progress of the warp core maintenance before the morning briefing in half an hour._

_Upon entering the Bridge, Chakotay noticed that the Captain’s chair was empty; he knew that she was on duty, they were on the same shift and she was always early to the Bridge, he suspected she was hiding away in her Ready Room under a pile of reports and coffee cups. He decided that he wouldn’t disturb her, she obviously needed space from him and he wasn’t about to make the situation between them anymore difficult._

_Instead Chakotay took his position in his Command chair, while Tom and Harry took their positions, both reporting the current statuses of their stations to Chakotay, closely followed by Tuvok at Tactical, all operations were normal._

_They had 20 minutes before the morning briefing was scheduled to begin, Chakotay used the time to calm his thoughts before he would have to be in the same room as both of the women he had been avoiding since last night, hoping that his emotions wouldn’t play across his face, he sat focusing on his breathing and calmly meditating to quieten his mind, steeling himself for a long shift with Kathryn by his side._


	4. Brief encounters

_The Senior staff filed in for the morning briefing, taking up their usual positions. Seven, Neelix, Harry and Chakotay on the left, B’Elanna, Tuvok, Tom and the Doctor on the right, Kathryn took her place at the head of the table under the viewport._

_“How is the food supply levels currently Neelix?” Kathryn asked, knowing that they were running lower than normal with the amount of Leola root being used in the cooking._

_“We need to replenish at the next available opportunity Captain” the Talaxian replied, he knew the crew weren’t always happy with his methods of bulking out their supplies, and when they weren’t happy and fed the morale onboard dramatically went down._

_“Right, B’Elanna, what about supplies for engineering, how are they doing?” the Captain turned to her Chief Engineer._

_“They are low but the work that we are doing has helped to stretch them out” B’Lanna replied, referring to the maintenance that they had been doing and work to make the engines more efficient “However if we get a chance to restock then we should, just to be on the safe side”. The Captain nodded in reply._

_“Seven, Harry scan for the nearest planet with the supplies we need on, and plot a course. Once we have that we will be able to plan how we can use the supplies we have and how long they have to last before we get there” She instructed._

_“Captain, do we know anything about this part of space that we are about to enter, after the last few months evading the Borg...” Chakotay’s voice tailed off_

_“This sector of space has no known hostile species, the Borg have found none worthy of assimilation in this area” Seven answered, her eyes not meeting Chakotay’s as she spoke._

_“That’s as good a sign as any to me” Kathryn sounded positive, something she hadn’t been in a few months “Let’s hope that we can find some friendly race and maybe even get some much needed rest for the crew. The last few months have been tough on everyone, and I don’t know about the rest of you but I could certainly use a break”_

_There were nods all round the table._

_“I have noticed that the amount of stress related complaints has increased recently” the Doctor spoke “I will also need to start the annual physicals for all the crew in the next week, so it would be appreciated if there wasn’t a Red Alert halfway through”_

_“We will try our best Doctor” the Captain replied, treating him to one of her lopsided smiles. Chakotay was watching her, waiting for instructions to him, seeing her smile made his heart skip as he remembered the smiles from the previous evening. Lucky for him no one but Kathryn was looking at him as his emotions temporarily got the better of him and his turmoil placed across his eyes._

_“Commander, is there anything else we need to discuss here? The other department heads report to you” She used his title, snapping his mask back in to place, which he was grateful for._

_“Only that general maintenance is needed across the whole ship, and most of it can’t be completed while we are travelling at warp, so we would be better to find a planet to orbit for a week or 2” He replied_

_“OK, as soon as Seven and Harry find us somewhere we can stay in orbit and complete the maintenance and any repairs that are needed, that should also give us plenty of time to gather supplies as well. If there is nothing else, dismissed”_

_Everyone rose from the table, with the exception of Kathryn, she remained seated, as if thinking, she waited until all but Chakotay were out of the room._

_“Chakotay” She called, quiet enough that no one but him would hear her_

_“Yes Captain” He stopped and placed his hands on his hips, his standard pose when he was speaking to her as a commanding officer rather than on a personal level._

_“I wanted to speak to you, privately...about... about last night” Her usual control of her voice failed her._

_“OK, what about it? The evening wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be if I am honest with you” Chakotay was caught off guard by her directness at raising the subject, he had wondered if she would return to her Ready Room and hide away from him for the rest of their Bridge duty._

_“I wasn’t expecting to say those things to you either if I am honest Chakotay, but I am glad I did” She looked at him for the first time, seeing the dark shadows under his eyes and the tired expression on his face, the result of a restless night._

_“What do you want from... this... us...our relationship Kathryn?” Chakotay asked, figuring that being as direct as she was probably the best tactic._

_“I want what I have always wanted, but never been allowed because of the Star Fleet protocols” She looked down, fighting the tears she could feel threatening_

_“I remember you telling me once that Star Fleet had always been reluctant to dictate peoples personal lives, why do you let them dictate yours? After all we are a long way from Headquarters and who knows how much longer this journey is going to take us”_

_“I know, and I think that is what I am starting to realise”_

_“We shouldn’t be discussing this here, how about this evening, my quarters. We can sit down, have a glass of wine and not be disturbed, have an open conversation?” He asked_

_“OK, what time?” She knew they needed to have this conversation, it had been coming for a while but they had been tip toeing around it for so long that it had become a block in their friendship, and having the day to think about everything was just what they needed._

_“Say 1900 again, and Kathryn” She looked up from the table, knowing what he was going to say “No uniforms”_

_She nodded, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten in anticipation. Chakotay moved towards the door, pausing to look at her._

_“Are you coming to the Bridge Captain?” He asked, using her title to bring her out of her thoughts, and back to the duty shift they both needed to get through._

_“Yes, I will be in my Ready Room, I have a stack of reports I need to read through and I don’t think I made a dent in them this morning before the meeting. Can you let me know when you hear from Seven or Harry” She requested, her command mask firmly slipping in to place. Chakotay simply gave a tight nod as he left the briefing room to return to his position on the Bridge, leaving Kathryn still sitting at the table._

**_ Kathryn _ **

She hadn’t meant to bring up last night so early in the day, but it had been impossible to let him leave, when she had felt the tension he was trying to hide from her. It was something she was feeling too, it was like a weight baring down on them.

Kathryn got up from the table and made her way to her Ready Room using the back corridors that connected the Briefing room, Bridge and Ready Room together without having to walk across the Bridge, which would have lead to questioning looks between members of the crew that she knew happened behind her back whenever there was a bit of tension within the Command team.

As she entered the Ready Room, she headed straight to the replicator, feeling the need for yet another cup of coffee. “Coffee, Black” she barked at the machine, it dutifully complied and her coffee shimmered in to existence on the pad. Kathryn collected it and smelled the familiar aroma coming from her mug, closing her eyes and allowing herself a moment to relax and focus her mind on the work in front of her, rather than the memories of last night and her First Officers deep brown eyes in the candlelight when she had admitted she wanted him. The flash of desire that flickered in them, and then quickly died down.

She shook her head, physically trying to clear the memory from her mind, as she sat down on the sofa in front of the low coffee table, strewn with PADD’s her door chimed. She sighed, no rest for the wicked or in command, she thought to herself.

“Come” She called, collecting a PADD from the table, she could use it as a distraction if someone entered that she didn’t have time for. Seven stepped in to the room.

_**_

_“Captain, I wish to speak with you, if you have a moment” the ex-Borg stated_

_“Yes Seven of course” Kathryn had a feeling this was not a professional call._

_“I am troubled” Seven got straight to the point as always “by a personal matter” She looked down_

_“You know I am always available to you as a friend and a sounding board should you need me Seven, how can I help?” Kathryn was hoping that it was a quick personal matter and nothing to do with her First Officer...she was sadly mistaken_

_“I am not sure you are aware but Commander Chakotay and I have been in a romantic relationship for the past month, we have been dating. However last night he cancelled our date in order to have dinner with you in your quarters, a fact he neglected to tell me when he cancelled, when I confronted him about this he informed me that he required space from our relationship. I am unsure how to proceed.” Seven didn’t have an accusing tone when speaking to the Captain; she sounded more like a teenager seeking advice from her mother._

_Kathryn felt awful, she didn’t know that Chakotay had cancelled a date with Seven in order to have dinner with her, however within this awful feeling there was a small piece of her that felt something else, something more like happiness and pride that Chakotay had chosen to spend his evening with her over the younger attractive blonde._

_“Well Seven” Kathryn swallowed “I didn’t know that you and he had plans last night, I invited him to dinner as we had some issues in our personal and professional relationships to resolve. Had I known that you and he were meant to be on a date I never would have made the invitation” Kathryn was telling the truth, she didn’t want to stand in the way of her friend’s happiness._

_Seven nodded “I have no doubt that you did not know, as Chakotay had no informed you of the change in our relationship. I do not hold you accountable for the decisions that he has made” She smiled warmly; she truly didn’t blame the Captain._

_The knot in Kathryn’s stomach started to ease; she had half expected the ex-Borg to blame her for the cancelled date and the repercussions of that on Seven’s relationship with Chakotay._

_“As for Chakotay saying that he needed space from your relationship, I am sure that is just because he wants to make sure you aren’t moving too fast, so you are both sure of your feelings for each other and know where you wish your romantic relationship to go. Maybe use this time apart to consider how you feel about the Commander and what you want from this relationship. It isn’t just time for him to think but for you too” Kathryn wanted to give Seven the best advise she could for the woman she considered more like a daughter than a friend or crew member._

_Seven nodded, understanding what the Captain was saying, and deciding that she would use this time apart from Chakotay to do exactly what Captain Janeway had suggested._

_“Captain Janeway to the Bridge” Tuvok’s voice came across the comm. as the Red Alert sounded. Perfect timing Kathryn thought, she didn’t want to have to continue this conversation much further._

_**_

**_ Kathryn _ **

Captain Janeway entered the Bridge, glancing at the view screen she saw a large ship looming in to view.

“Report” She barked

“The ship just dropped out of warp in front of us and immediately locked their weapons on us” Commander Chakotay responded, their previous personal tension forgotten in order for their professional relationship to function.

“Hail them” Kathryn said to no one in particular however everyone knew she was speaking to Harry Kim

“Channel open” Kim replied

“This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Star ship Voyager, we are on a peaceful mission, just passing through this sector of space trying to get home” She gave her usual opening message “Why have you locked your weapons on us”

“They are responding” Harry stated, unnecessarily as the view screen shimmered in to an image of a humanoid alien, smirking at them.

“You have entered Yaksori space” A deep voice boomed at them “I am Yanish of Yaksori Security”

Kathryn put her hands on her hips, a stance that the entire Bridge crew knew meant she was all business and was not about to be intimidated. “We are sorry, we didn’t know that this was your space, we are just passing through.”

“We have no issue with you passing through our space Captain” Yanish spoke, Kathryn looked at him and thought briefly that he looked familiar to her, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something was definitely familiar to her. He had deep set dark eyes, they looked hardened by conflict, his dark hair was neatly brushed back, he didn’t have a friendly air about him that was one thing Kathryn could be sure of, and her guard was up

“Then why are your weapons locked on us?” Captain Janeway asked

“Standard procedure when an unknown ship enters our space when they are not expected and have not paid their toll” He sneered

Kashyk that was who he reminded her of; the sneer was the same, she turned to glance at Chakotay, and her instincts told her that he would have seen it too. She wasn’t wrong; his eyes had that hard gleam to them that told her he had his guard up too.

Turning back to the screen Kathryn steeled herself against the memories of Kashyk and his effect on her. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. “What is this toll?” She asked, wanting to get through this sector of space as fast as possible.

“That depends on each ship. We have scanned your vessel and your technology is impressive, we would accept some of that as payment”

Captain Janeway shook her head “I’m afraid that our laws prevent us from trading our technology and most of it is integrated in to this ship, however I have offer you isolinier chips and show you how to use them in your systems?” She offered, knowing that the chips were basically worthless to them but many species in the Delta Quadrant had been interested in them.

Yanish thought for a moment “How many of these chips are you offering?”

Kathryn knew that what ever number she offered he would want at least double, best to play the game. “25 chips” She offered

“75 chips”

“30”

“60”

“50” She finally offered

“Accepted” Yanish nodded, clearly happy with what he appeared to think of as a win. Kathryn was happy as well, giving no more than she was willing and getting the negotiations over with quickly.

“You may pass through our space”

“Thank you, oh do you know of any planets in the sector where we can replenish our food supplies at all? That’s if you don’t mind” Captain Janeway wanted to avoid any further tolls or complications, and as Kathryn if she saw Yanish again it would be too soon.

“There is a planet about 3 light years from here, you are welcome to replenish your supplies there.” Yanish said

“Thank you. If there is nothing else we will be on our way” Kathryn said

Instead of speaking Yanish simply cut the transmission and the screen returned to the image of his ship “Friendly man” Kathryn quipped. Chakotay smiled, looking at the floor and pulling on his ear as the Captain took her place in her command chair.

Although she wouldn’t admit it, Yanish had unnerved her slightly, the similarity between him and Kashyk was not a pleasant realisation and one she would rather forget. She decided that instead of returning to her Ready Room and solidarity she needed to be among people for a while.

“Tom, scan for that planet and lets get Leola root off the menu as quickly as possible huh” She smiled

“Yes Sir” Tom grinned back

Kathryn leaned in to the space between her and Chakotay’s chair, noticing Chakotay did the same

“I don’t know about you, but there was something about that Yanish I didn’t like, I want to be out of this space as soon as possible.” She whispered to him

“Agreed” Chakotay kept his voice low too “Maybe we should concentrate on the food supplies for now and find a planet to orbit for repairs later.”

“Good idea, check with B’Elanna how long those repairs can wait for at the most and we can make a plan from there. Until then I don’t want to see another Leola Root concoction on the lunch menu” She touched his arm in a familiar gesture of friendship. She did it without thinking, but catching the hitch in Chakotay’s breathing she quickly removed it.

Their eyes met briefly and they both smiled.

“Well, if there is nothing else on the Bridge that can keep me distracted, I have a stack of reports with my name on them in the Ready Room” She got up from her chair “Tom, let me know when we arrive at the planet, you have the Bridge Commander”

“Aye” Chakotay responded as he watched her walk away from him to her Ready Room, she could feel his eyes on her back and fought the urge to turn round, instead she carried on and smiled to herself.

**_ Chakotay _ **

He would never grow tired of watching her walk, he thought, smiling to himself and she made her way to her Ready Room. Watching the gentle sway of her hips he started to compare her to Seven, not in a negative way, simply cataloguing the differences between them.

Kathryn had a gentle sway whereas Sevens was far more pronounced, possibly because of her abdominal implants that circled her waist, Kathryn’s hair was a much softer style now she had gotten more comfortable in command of Voyager and knew her crew, whereas Seven always wore her hair in a tight bun very similar to the one Kathryn had at the beginning of this never ending trip.

“Commander” Tuvok’s voice broke through his thoughts and he realised he was still staring at the now closed doors of the Captains Ready Room.

“Yes Tuvok” Chakotay turned to look at the Vulcan tactical officer

“We had previously discussed weapons maintenance, however given the current circumstances with the Yaksori; I believe it is logical to postpone it until we are in less hostile space.” Tuvok was as observant as ever.

“Agreed” Chakotay didn’t want to be in the middle of a diagnostic and need the phasers. “I will inform the Captain... once she has finished with the reports on her desk” He smiled

Chakotay turned and activated the command panel, deciding to keep his mind on the job, rather than the women in his life, as much as possible until they reached the planet.


	5. Unknown Territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, just getting them to the planet

**_ Kathryn _ **

Putting down the last report that she had to read, Kathryn decided to reward herself with another coffee, she had lost count of what number this was today but her head hurt from reading all of those reports, not to mention the interaction with Yanish that was still playing on her mind.

“Captain, the planet is coming up on long range sensors, thought you would want to know... so you could get your last coffee in before the collecting starts” Chakotay’s voice came over the comm.

Kathryn smiled warmly “Thank you Commander, I have a couple more reports to complete and I will be with you” She let the last phrase hang in the air, she wanted more than anything to be with him as more than just a friend and his Captain, she wanted more.

She tapped her chest and closed the comm. Before moving over to the replicator and recycling the last of the empty coffee cups from the table and ordering a new one. Chakotay was right, she would need another coffee before they entered orbit and started to go down to the planet to look for supplies.

**

**_ Chakotay _ **

He wasn’t sure but Kathryn’s last statement had implied more than just joining him on the Bridge, he couldn’t be sure, it had been a long time since she had flirted with him in front of the crew or over the comm.

He sat back in his chair, trying to replace the command mask that he wore, he couldn’t have the Bridge crew seeing that there was something different going on between the Captain and him.

“Harry, are we close enough to get an accurate reading of the vegetation on the planet?” He asked

“Not quite close enough to tell you exactly what it is but close enough to tell you there is definitely edible plant life down there” Harry Kim responded

“Leola Root could be off the menu sooner than we hoped” Tom chimed in

The majority of the Bridge crew smiled at the comment, all accept Tuvok who simply raised an eyebrow.

“Not a moment too soon” Kathryn said as she entered the Bridge, taking her seat next to the Commander.

He leaned over to the middle, seeing this she did the same, their voices lowered so that the rest of the crew wouldn’t hear them; this was not unusual for the Command team to do so no one really noticed, except the ever observant Mr Tuvok, who stayed stoically silent as always.

“You know there is no Leola Root on the menu for tonight” Chakotay smiled, making Kathryn’s heart skip, when had it stopped doing that?

“Sounds good to me, anything without Leola Root gets my vote” She laughed, “Did you want me to bring the wine?”

“Of course, White if you don’t mind” Chakotay requested “I am planning on doing a light dinner, just things to share rather than a sit down meal if that’s good for you” His eyes had a cheeky glint in them that Kathryn couldn’t help but notice.

“Perfect, I will see you at 1900” She said as she moved away from the middle, returning to her Command manner.

Chakotay sat back as well, mentally preparing himself for the mission ahead.

**

_“Captain” Tuvok’s voice cut through Chakotay’s train of thought “There is a vessel approaching on an intercept course, it matches the Yaksori vessel we encountered earlier”_

_“I had a feeling we hadn’t seen the last of them” Chakotay growled sensing trouble_

_“Me too” Kathryn agreed, “How far away are they Tuvok?” She asked_

_“2 light-years and closing fast” Tuvok responded_

_“We are being hailed Captain” Ensign Kim reported_

_“Open a channel, let’s hear what they have to say” Captain Janeway replied, Kathryn’s command mask firmly in place after the light hearted flirting with Chakotay earlier._

_“Federation Star ship Voyager, how nice to see you again” Yanish grinned from the view screen_

_“And so soon” Kathryn responded_

_“I see you have made it to the planet I suggested without incident” His voice was harsh and cold, it immediately set Captain Janeway on edge._

_“We did thank you” Her voice hard and even, waiting for the threat to be made_

_“How long do you expect to be in orbit?” Yanish asked, curious and sensing there was a profit to be made from these strangers_

_“No longer than a couple of hours, we just need to collect a few plant samples and we will be on our way” Honesty was always the best policy._

_“See it is no longer than that Captain” Yanish growled at her_

_“And why is that, may I ask” The Captain stood and walked towards the view screen, a familiar action to the Bridge crew, usually when she was getting irritated by a situation and was on the defensive._

_“Well any longer than that and another toll may need to be paid, one that is not as simple as those chips earlier” He grinned, it was harsh and threatening_

_“Then I guess we had better not go over our time then, Janeway out” The view screen went dead. Captain Janeway turned, hands on her hips, “So much for Seven saying this was a friendly sector of space. Her Borg information must be out of date” She said._

_“Harry, when we are close enough I want detailed scans of the planet, so we can send our teams down to the best places. So we can get out of here as soon as possible, I don’t want to give Yanish any opportunity to charge us this new toll!”_

_“Aye Captain” Harry responded “The scans show that there is a higher concentration of plant life on the North continent of the planet, my best bet is that is where we should look”_

_“Send the co-ordinates to the helm, Tom put us in orbit above them” the Captain ordered, “Chakotay, I want you to assemble 3 teams, and be prepared to transport down as soon as we are in range” She sat back in her chair with the last of her order._

_Chakotay immediately got to his feet, “Yes Captain. Tuvok, Harry you’re with me” Tapping his comm. Badge “Mr Neelix, Seven, assemble your teams and meet us in Transporter room 2”_

_“Acknowledged” came the reply from both Neelix and Seven. They both had people they preferred to work with on away missions like this so they quickly assembled their teams._

_10 minutes later they were assembled in Transporter room 2, with their transport co-ordinates from the Bridge. In their teams they mounted the Transporter pad._

_“Energise” Chakotay ordered; his was the last team down._

_A moment later they dematerialised on the planet surface with Neelix and Seven’s teams._

_“Right, you know what the Captain said; we have 2 hours to get as many supplies as we can. Let’s get to it”_

_The teams all split off in different directions and began their search._


	6. Plant Supplies

**_ Kathryn _ **

She didn’t like sending Chakotay down in to unknown situations, even when the planet seemed safe; it always left a knot in her stomach. If Kathryn was honest with herself, she wasn’t too happy that Seven of Nine was down there with him, given the conversation they had earlier this mission was making her stomach feel particularly knotted, but she trusted that both her First Officer and their resident ex-Borg would act professionally and simply complete the mission she had tasked them with.

She paced the Bridge, setting Tom on edge, he didn’t like it when the Captain did this, made him uneasy.

“Chakotay to Voyager” Chakotay’s voice came across the comm.

“Yes Commander” Captain Janeway responded

“We have located and collected a wide variety of plants that Neelix believes he can use, we have also collected samples that we can plant in the Airponics bay so we should be able to stretch out the supplies for longer... that’s if they are actually edible”

“Very good Commander, we have another 30 minutes in orbit before Yanish decides to charge us another toll, so I suggest another 20 minutes collecting supplies and then get back to the ship” Captain Janeway suggested, wanting her Commander’s input rather than ordering. As he was the one on the surface he was in a better place to decide if that was a reasonable amount of time.

“Agreed Captain” came the reply.

“Very good Commander, Janeway out” She tapped her comm. Badge and the channel closed.

Kathryn decided that rather than pace on the Bridge, unnerving her Bridge staff she would return to the privacy of her Ready Room until either the Away teams returned to the ship or Yanish decided to make an appearance.

**

**_ Seven of Nine _ **

I shouldn’t have discussed Commander Chakotay with Captain Janeway, Seven thought to herself while scanning the area around her for edible plants. Her emotional needs had gotten the better of her. Perhaps she should ask the Doctor to reactivate her emotional failsafe if these episodes were going to happen frequently, she couldn’t allow her emotional state to compromise her work, especially when she was expected to work with the Commander.

“Seven of Nine to Neelix”

“Neelix here” The Talaxian’s voice came over the comm.

“We have completed our scans of the area and believe we have collected all the edible plant life available to us. Have you completed your collection?” Seven asked in her usual brisk Borg manner

“We have, we are just collecting our gear and we will be returning to the transport co-ordinates” Neelix replied “Commander Chakotay is already there and is arranging with Commander Tuvok the supplies being transported to the Cargo bays”

Seven felt a flash of irritation course through her, normally Commander Chakotay would have contacted her directly to let her know that his team was finished, had he meant time away from her professionally as well as personally? She was hurt and confused again, but she squashed the emotions down within herself, she would examine them later, right now she had a mission to complete, one that the whole crew was counting on if the complaints about Neelix’s current array of offerings was anything to go by; not that she much cared as she stuck to her nutritional supplements and regeneration cycles.

“Seven of Nine to Commander Chakotay” best to keep this professional from the start Seven thought.

“Chakotay here” He sounded annoyed that she had contacted him

“Commander we have completed our survey and collection of plant life, if there is nothing else you wish to be done in this location we will return to the Transport co-ordinates to return to the ship” Seven stated

“No Seven, there is nothing else to complete. Return to the ship and I will arrange with Tuvok the transport of the items your team has collected”

“Agreed Commander” Seven closed the comm.

“Ensign Celles and Lt. Vorik, our task here is complete, we should return to the ship before the time window elapses” Seven ordered them.

She enjoyed working with the Vulcan Vorik, he was quiet unless there was something that needed to be said or asked and he was efficient which she appreciated. The main reason that she bought Ensign Celles with her was because she did not trust the young Bajoran to complete her work in Astrometrics without Seven having to re-do it when she returned, it was more efficient to bring her on the away mission.

Both Celles and Vorik nodded, and started to walk towards the Transport site, Seven took the lead as always. They reached their destination within a few minutes; Seven tapped the comm. Badge on her chest.

“Seven of Nine to Voyager, 3 to beam up” seconds later the planet around them disappeared and they re-materialised in Voyagers transporter room. Vorik and Celles returned to their duty stations while Seven returned to Astrometrics, via the Cargo bay to offer assistance to Commander Tuvok, which he had declined as his task was almost complete.

Alone in the safety of the familiar surroundings of Astrometrics Seven let her mind wander over the way that Chakotay had acted with her on the away mission. Was it because he wanted as much space from her as he could get? Did he want to sever their relationship in all its forms? A wave of sadness washed across her as the possibility of not even having him as a friend crossed her mind. She quickly pushed the thought aside, not wanting to dwell on it.

The Captain had suggested that she use this time apart to think about what she wanted with the Commander as well. What did she want? Seven wasn’t sure at this point in time. Did she want a romantic relationship with a man that cancelled plans with her for another woman? All be it that woman was the Captain of this ship and they needed to work together in order for the ship to run effectively. Seven felt anger and jealousy well up inside her again; she was unable to concentrate on the task in front of her as a result. She pushed the PADDs off the console in front of her, throwing them to the floor in a rage. What did the Captain have that she didn’t? _Chakotay_ her mind told her. She had Chakotay’s heart, and always had Seven realised.

It seemed her choice had been made for her, before the relationship with Chakotay had even started it was over. As long as Kathryn Janeway held his heart, however unknowingly, Chakotay was never going to be Seven’s.

All Seven had to do now was make Chakotay and the Captain realise it; then perhaps all 3 of them could move on and repair their friendships.

**

**_ Chakotay _ **

Best to stay away from Seven of Nine as much as possible he thought. The evening before had been emotionally taxing on them both and the tension between them this morning in the Mess Hall and again in the morning briefing had been uncomfortable for both of them and those around them. Chakotay couldn’t have that when they were on the clock for this away mission.

Usually Chakotay looked forward to these missions, going down to some planet, which was usually beautiful, lush and green, in order to find edible plants was relaxing for him; on some occasions Kathryn had joined them, when the planet was completely uninhabited and they were spending a few days collecting plants and ores that engineering needed. Those were the away missions he enjoyed the most; Kathryn was often relaxed and happy, similar to how she had been on New Earth once the storm had stopped her from researching a cure any further. He missed that Kathryn.

“Chakotay to Tuvok, Seven has reported that her team have completed their search for supplies, once you have finished transporting the supplies from Neelix’s team please begin transporting Seven’s teams.”

“Understood Commander” Tuvok responded

Chakotay surveyed the area around him and decided there was nothing more that could be achieved on the planet’s surface.

“Chakotay to Voyager”

“Go ahead Commander” Captain Janeway’s voice came across the comm. Chakotay felt his mind quieten instantly

“All teams have completed their surveys and collection of all edible plant life, Tuvok is in the process of beaming it all to the ship. If there is nothing else required from the surface I will return to the ship”

“Agreed, I want to get going as soon as possible. Once Tuvok has finished loading the supplies we will leave orbit.” Captain Janeway ordered

“Understood. Chakotay out” He tapped his chest and the channel closed. He took a final moment to breathe in the fresh air and to feel the sun on his face before returning to the artificial lights and recycled air of Voyager.

“Chakotay to Voyager, 1 to beam up”


	7. Darkness

_The rest of the day aboard Voyager had gone surprisingly smoothly. They had made it out of orbit of the plant before the Yaksori Security vessel had arrived to charge them another toll. The food supplies they had gathered had boosted moral with the promise of more variety in the ships menus and the seeds had added to the crops in the Airponics bay, further extending their in house supplies._

_However it hadn’t all been smooth sailing for the Bridge team, those who knew the Captain and Commander in a social sense had noticed that there was a shift in the way that they around each other. The Captain had spent most of her shift hiding away in her Ready Room, under the pretext that she had reports to write and read, whereas the Commander had sat brooding from his position on the Bridge, occasionally sighing loudly. On the occasion Tom and Harry had tried to break the tension by bringing up the subject of their next Captain Proton adventure, asking those on the Bridge if they had any suggestions, Chakotay had snapped at them both that it was not a conversation to have during their Bridge duty, Tom and Harry had exchanged looks like naughty school boys being caught smoking round the back of the sheds whereas Tuvok, who had noticed the change in behaviours also raised his eyebrow so high it almost connected with his hair line._

**_ Kathryn _ **

She didn’t know what had happened to change her mood so much in the last few hours, this morning, although confused by Chakotay and her relationship as well as the complication of Seven of Nine coming to her about Chakotay cooling their romantic relationship, further involving Kathryn in a situation she wanted to avoid as much as possible. She had taken that in her stride and was even feeling a little pride that Chakotay had cancelled plans with Seven to spend time with her, and Kathryn knew she should be feeling happy and positive after the supply mission and evasion of the Yaksori, but something was darkening her mood.

Perhaps, she thought, it was the simple fact of the similarities between Yanish and Kashyk that had unnerved her. No, that wasn’t it. Kashyk had been a distraction and game of wits if anything, she kept him distracted and under surveillance while the telepaths Voyager were assisting were able to escape as well as the telepathic members of her crew. It was something else that was bothering her, and making her pull away from the crew, until she figured it out she didn’t want to be around them and be distracted by the day to day conversations. So she had hidden away in her Ready Room, hoping the repetitive reports would allow something to click in her mind and answer the question of what had set her on edge.

Captain Janeway was just about to start on her 3rd cup of coffee that afternoon and pick up the engineering report from B’Elanna about the levels of supplies they had currently and what they were running critically low on when her door chimed.

“Come” She called out, absentmindedly, when she looked up from her PADD she was a little surprised to see Tuvok standing in front of her. “Hello Tuvok, is there something I can do for you?”

“No Captain, however I believe there is something I can do for you” Tuvok replied

“Oh, and what would that be my old friend?” Kathryn had always valued Tuvok’s quiet way of knowing when she needed support but not pushing it on her.

“I believe there is something troubling you and I would like to act as a sounding board for you as I have done in the past” Once again Tuvok had known what she needed

“Thank you Tuvok, there is something playing on my mind and I would welcome the opportunity to talk about it.” Kathryn stood and walked to her replicator, “One Vulcan spiced tea” The replicator shimmered and Tuvok’s tea appeared, collecting it and turning back to her Chief of Security and oldest friend, now sitting bolt upright as always on the sofa under the viewport, Kathryn tried to find somewhere logical to start.

“I guess it is nothing in particular but I can’t seem to put my finger on it all the same.”

“You have appeared to have been closing yourself away ever since we came in to contact with the Yaksori vessel this morning. Could there be something troubling you about them?” Tuvok asked

“There is something about Yanish that puts me on my guard, I don’t know why. After all the Yaksori seem no worse than the Ferengi asking for a toll to cross their territory and we have had to pay tolls before or barter for permission to enter another species space before, so I don’t think it is that bothering me, I mean isolinier chips are nothing to us” She wasn’t speaking directly to Tuvok, more rolling ideas round in her head and voicing them to see what hit the mark

“Perhaps” Tuvok spoke “It is Yanish himself rather than the Yaksori as a whole that has raised your guard”

“How so?”

Tuvok was unsure how to word the next bit, he thought for a moment and then decided that directness was something Kathryn appreciated “He does bear a striking resemblance with the Devore Security Inspector, Kashyk, who betrayed this ship and you on a more personal level” Kathryn took a sharp breath, was that it?

“Are you saying that because this man happens to look like someone we have dealt with before I am expecting him to do the same as Kashyk?” Kathryn had spoken to Tuvok about her brief idea that Kashyk would come with them, before she had realised that he was playing them and her for fools. She had also mentioned that she has let her personal feelings to become involved.

“Yes, and if I am honest I share your concerns Captain” At this Captain Janeway’s eyes widened in surprise, she was also glad that it wasn’t just her opinion on Yanish

“Really, why?” Kathryn was interested in what could make a Vulcan concerned about someone

“I get the impression that he is not as interested in trading as he appears, rather he wants something else from us... or more precisely, you” Tuvok raised his eyebrow

“Me?” Kathryn found the thought that she was more interesting to someone than Voyager distasteful.

“Yes Captain, I get the feeling that he is far more interested in you rather than what Voyager can offer him” Tuvok didn’t like the idea either, after all Captain Janeway was his commanding officer and a dear friend.

“Well Tuvok, let’s hope we don’t have to find out if your theory is correct” Even with the idea of Yanish wanting something from her still making her stomach churn, Kathryn had a sense of peace fall over her, the issue of what was bothering her solved, at least for now

“Thank you Tuvok for your insight, but can we keep this idea between us for now?” Janeway didn’t want anyone to know what they suspected, particularly her First Officer.

“Of course Captain, and please know that if anything happens to confirm our theory, I will, as always, give you my support” Tuvok stated and started to stand, his tea hardly touched. “With your permission Captain I shall return to my post”

She simply nodded and watched as Tuvok left. Once again in the silence of her Ready Room, her mind spinning at the idea Tuvok had suggested, her stomach joined her mind spinning and making her feel unwell at the same time.  Kathryn hoped that their theory didn’t prove right and become a reality, her dealings with Kashyk had nearly gotten out of hand, she had almost crossed a line but she had pulled back just in time, before it had cost her anything but a few odd looks from the crew and a bit of strain on her relationship with Chakotay, her biggest regret from the whole experience.

Janeway paced back and forth in her Ready Room, attempting to calm herself before she want back on the Bridge and continued her duty shift, suddenly not wanting to be alone any longer.

**_ Chakotay _ **

He had noticed Tuvok had gone in to see her, it should have been him, wasn’t he her First Officer? Although he had been too busy with his own thoughts to want to face Kathryn, she was still one of the people he wanted to avoid on a personal level; simply dealing with her professionally was hard enough.

His thoughts were full of Seven and Kathryn, and his relationships with both of them. He had waited for 7 long years for Kathryn, hoping that one day she would welcome his feelings for her and accept the feeling she had for him, so they could move on together in their relationship. After those 7 years of constant rejection and being pushed back by ‘protocols’ again and again, Chakotay had started to close that part of his heart off and allow himself to find someone who he could openly love and be loved in return, Seven had been that person for him. Now Kathryn was showing signs of finally giving in, did he want to risk losing something with Seven for the hope of Kathryn?

His mind was going round and round, so much so he had snapped at Tom and Harry for no real reason other than them trying to lighten the mood on the Bridge, which he knew he was bringing down with his mood.

Chakotay noticed Tuvok exit the Ready Room, obviously having spoken to Kathryn, either personally or professionally, Chakotay didn’t care which. He knew that Kathryn went to the Vulcan for council on many issues and relied on him and their long standing friendship for strength, although Chakotay couldn’t really trust Tuvok since he had infiltrated his crew years ago, he had always been told ‘never trust a spy’ and Tuvok was a spy for Starfleet.

A few moments later Captain Janeway entered the Bridge and took her usual place next to Chakotay, she turned to him and leaned in to the middle console, against his better judgement Chakotay found himself leaning in too.

“Anything interesting happen while I was going through all those reports?” She smiled shyly at him, obviously feeling guilty for leaving him with the Bridge for the majority of their shift.

“No, nothing too much. Harry and Tom have been discussing a new Captain Proton adventure” He paused, wondering if he should say anything more “I believe some suggestions have been made for a certain Queen to make an appearance in the new adventures” He smiled as Kathryn laughed

“I don’t think Arachnia will be making any reappearance any time soon. Sorry if that disappoints anyone” Her eyes sparkled with mischief and fun, something that had been missing recently.

“That is a shame Captain” Tom said turning from the Conn, “I thought you played the part brilliantly and... well... the costume...” He blushed and went quiet

“That particular outfit will also not be making an appearance anytime soon, Mr, Paris” the Captain said playfully, the mood on the Bridge lifting from its previous darkness

Chakotay noticed the mood lifting and smiled inwardly that with just the company of the Captain in a cheerful mood affected the crew so much, and how much her mood affected his mood. When Kathryn was happy and smiling so was he, if she was preoccupied and turned in on herself then the rest of the Bridge crew felt her absence, it didn’t seem to matter if it was a physical absence or mental one the affect was the same. Silently Chakotay thanked Tuvok for his visit to the Ready Room.

“Are we still on for dinner this evening Commander?” Kathryn asked, bringing Chakotay back to the present

“Yes, 1900, and it is my turn to cook, your turn to bring the wine” He laughed, realising that he had just said exactly what he had told her earlier in the day

Kathryn simply nodded, and turned back to the view screen,  and back in to Captain Janeway, Kathryn expertly hidden behind the mask of Command again.


	8. Never according to plan

**_The time is 1900_ ** _the computer chimed, signalling for Kathryn to leave her quarters to go next door to Chakotay’s. Taking a deep breath she pressed the door chime and waited to be allowed entrance._

_“Come in Kathryn, the door is open” came the familiar deep voice_

_Stepping through Kathryn was greeted by the aromas of the food Chakotay had prepared mingled with the musky smell of him, she instantly felt the weight of command lift from her shoulders and she relaxed in his company. She walked over to the table where Chakotay had laid out and placed the wine in the waiting wine bucket._

_“Whatever it is we are having it smells wonderful!” She exclaimed, feeling her stomach grumble with a growl that made her realise that she hadn’t eaten since dinner last night_

_“It is just a mix of tapas pieces, thought it would be more relaxed and comfortable that way” Chakotay smiled, “or we could just drink the wine if you’re not hungry Kathryn” His voice took on a husk as he said her name, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine._

_“I haven’t eaten since last night, so I think the wise choice would be to eat something if I want to enjoy the wine” She gave him a trademark lopsided smile, one that always made Chakotay feel at ease with her._

_“Alright, then how about we take this to the sofa and we can relax while we eat and drink?” He gestured to the sofa under the viewports, their favourite place to sit in her quarters but a rarely used place in his, Kathryn simply nodded, gathering the wine glasses and wine taking them with her and setting them on the low table in front of the sofa. Sitting on the sofa she tucked her legs under her and made herself comfortable._

_“So what amazing tapas have you prepared to tempt me” She grinned, making Chakotay grin back at her looking like a naughty school boy_

_“Well we have Patatas bravas” He looked up at her to see if she knew immediately what it was, she didn’t but looked eager to know “That’s just fried potato served with a spiced tomato sauce and light aioli, a simple Spanish omelette, deep fried calamari, stuffed pepper and a simple vegetable paella”_

_“Looks delicious Chakotay, thank you” Kathryn leant forward and selected a piece from each before settling back, while Chakotay poured the wine, filled his own plate and joined her on the sofa, feeling pleased to see her eating with such a hearty appetite, she had seemed a bit thinner than usual lately, her petite frame showing more of her bone structure than normal._

_They fell in to easy conversation about the day on the ship and the new gossip that Chakotay had over heard about who was with who and the latest antics of Tom and Harry trying to get an emotional response from Tuvok. Kathryn doubled over laughing as Chakotay recounted the story of the Vulcan monks, programmed by Icheb this time, broke out in an old Earth disco dance called the ‘Macarena’ the moves courtesy of Tom Paris._

_“What I wouldn’t give to of seen Tuvok’s face when the monks started twisting their hips and jumping round in their robes.” Kathryn giggled “I expect the 3 of them will have to avoid Tuvok for a few days.”_

_“I will have to reorganise the duty shifts then” Chakotay suggested playfully_

_“On the other hand it might break up some of the quieter moments on the Bridge and we both know Tom can’t resist trying to wind Tuvok up. I think it is just to see if he can make Tuvok’s eyebrow actually go in to his hairline” She was still giggling and lightly placed her hand on Chakotay’s thigh in an action that felt completely normal but she hadn’t done in longer than she could remember._

_“And we both know how much Tom loves to design new holoprogrammes for the crew... I believe he was inviting a certain member of this ships command team to reprise her starring role while on duty today... well that’s the gossip on the ship anyway”  He said playfully_

_“Well you shouldn’t believe all the gossip you hear Commander” She giggled “Although being Queen does have its advantages, and its draw backs” Kathryn suddenly went quiet._

_Chakotay reached over and placed his hand over hers, making her look him in the eye, rather than hide her face from him. She looked down briefly and realised that her hand was still on his leg, she quickly removed it. He instantly felt the coldness of the loss of her warmth._

_Kathryn took a deep breath and decided to open the subject that had been bothering her all day, nagging at her even while she was focusing on the away mission it had been there._

_“Why didn’t you tell me you had plans last night when I invited you for dinner Chakotay?”_

_“How did you know I cancelled plans to be with you?” He asked, knowing the answer already._

_“Seven of Nine came to see me this morning, before we reached the planet today, as a friend rather than her commanding officer. She wanted to know what it was that was so important about our dinner last night that you cancelled a date with her” Kathryn almost spat out the words at him, they left a bitter taste in her mouth, even so she looked him dead in his eye while she waited for his reply_

_“She had no right to tell you, Kathryn, I... I was going to... when it was more than just a few dates. It hadn’t been going on for very long at all. Last night would only have been our 3 rd date...I wasn’t even sure it was going to go anywhere, as it is we have put a hold on things” Chakotay was babbling, unsure of where this conversation was going._

_“She told me that you and she were taking time, but she didn’t seem to know why.” Kathryn wasn’t sure if she was asking or if she even wanted to know._

_“I thought we just needed some time apart to figure out our feelings for each other...” He paused, unsure of if he should finish his thought, once it was said it couldn’t be unsaid “or...” He stopped_

_“Or...” She prodded, her curiosity peaked_

_“Or our feelings for other people... more specifically my feelings for another person” He blushed_

_Kathryn knew he was talking about her, and didn’t need to say anything “Don’t you think you should tell Seven” She stopped when she saw the look of horror on his face “I don’t mean tell her who, although cancelling plans with her to spend time with me probably will send her thoughts in my direction... I mean tell her that you have feelings for her and another person, and that you need time to sort them out. She is going a little nut over thinking it and wondering what she has done Chakotay. It’s not fair” She tapped his hand that was still caressing hers but didn’t give any indication that she wanted him to remove his hand from hers._

_“I know Kathryn” His voice was low and barely above a whisper_

_Kathryn didn’t know what more to say, her throat was closing with tears that were threatening. She loved Chakotay more than she even thought possible and couldn’t imagine him not being by her side in one way or another, yet here she was basically telling Chakotay that he had to reconcile with Seven of Nine, pushing him in to the arms of another woman. Her heart hurt at the thought of it._

_Chakotay sat for a moment in silence, letting Kathryn’s words sink in. He knew he had been unfair to Seven but there was no other way, it would be unfair for him to continue with her while his feelings for Kathryn were coming back to the surface. He decided to tell Kathryn as much, but he was unsure of her response, for all he knew she would pull away from him and leave, without so much as their friendship in his life anymore. That was something he couldn’t bear, having felt a taste of it after she had pulled away from him during the Equinox incident, it had taken a lot of work to even start to get their friendship back, something they were only now repairing. Could he take being cut off from Kathryn again?_

_“Kathryn, it is the only way I know how to be with Seven, I don’t want to hurt her... or you. My feelings for you have been with me for so long that they feel part of me, like an arm.” He stopped and cleared his throat, “My feelings for Seven however, they are new and just starting, a bit like a crush. Is it wrong that after so long of not being able to have the one woman I want but not being able to have her as anything more than a close friend to look for happiness and possibly love somewhere else, someone who is like the woman I want?”_

_She was a little shocked at how blunt Chakotay was being, he had not been this open with her ever, even when they were on New Earth he had told her a thinly veiled ‘ancient legend’ and had become her angry warrior. She smiled at the memory and their time together as just Kathryn and Chakotay before the Captain and Commander came crashing back in to their lives with a simple hail from Tuvok._

_“No Chakotay it isn’t wrong to want someone to love. If anyone on the ship knows that its me... as the Captain I can’t have the person I want... and I would never stand in the way of anyone finding a person that can make them happy, you know that” The voice inside her head was screaming at her to forget the rules, forget the protocols and just be happy with him, here he was telling her everything she had wanted to hear for years and yet again she was pushing him away!_

_Chakotay removed his hand, his heart breaking in his chest. Kathryn was pushing him away again, like she always did, hiding behind the rules that were put in place 50,000._

_“I think I should leave” Kathryn’s voice was thick with unshed tears, threatening to send her crumpled to the floor, her heart was shattering inside her chest, pushing Chakotay away was always difficult, she was pushing the one person she wanted more with away in to the little box of friendship and professionalism hiding behind protocols and parameters._

_“We do have an early meeting in the morning and could both use some sleep” He was giving her an easy reason to leave, just looking at her familiar face was painful and he needed some space. Kathryn simply nodded and rose to leave._

_“Thank you for dinner Commander” Titles felt safe for her to use, hiding behind her command mask so she could maintain her composure until she was in the darkness of her own quarters. She turned and headed for the door, stopping when she heard Chakotay’s voice._

_“Goodnight Kathryn, I will see you in the Bridge in the morning” He sounded beaten down and it broke her heart further._

_“Goodnight Chakotay” Her voice barely above a whisper as she left his quarters and stepped in to the corridor._

**_ Kathryn _ **

Once the doors slid closed on her quarters the 1st tear slipped from her eyes, her command mask completely gone. Why had she gone to dinner with Chakotay, especially after the day they had and her conversation with Tuvok still rattling around in her mind. She really hadn’t been in the mood, particularly when she knew they were going to end up having the discussion about ‘them’ and the nature of their personal relationship.

Kathryn began pacing back and forth over the opening living space of her quarters trying to reason with herself. She wanted more with Chakotay, she had been attracted to him from the moment he had appeared on her Bridge, at least physically attracted then, it had become something more when she saw his passion and loyalty to his Marquis crew and in the end to her Starfleet crew as well, it was something she had always admired and looked for in a man. So why was she pushing him away and hiding behind those damned protocols that Starfleet had put in place, and even then they were open to interpretation and it was more of a tradition than anything. Since the days of Kirk it had been a messy subject, and Voyagers situation was different from any other ship in Starfleet. They might be out here from the rest of their lives. Could she really be expected to be alone, denying herself happiness, for the rest of her life? And Chakotay’s? Although he seemed to be moving on to Seven of Nine now, which hurt more than Kathryn was willing to admit.

Could she really deny him the chance to be happy with Seven simply because she couldn’t have him? No that was cruel, but if he was only going to Seven because she was pushing him away then that was something she could change... if she only let herself.

Kathryn paced for sometime trying to reason with herself, going back and forth between telling herself to let things happen between Chakotay and Seven of Nine, then just as quickly feeling the ache in her chest at the thought of it telling herself to forget those traditions and protocols to just let herself be happy with her First Officer, giving in to her feelings for him and seeing where it may lead.

After what seemed like hours of going back and forth, both over her carpet and in her thoughts, she decided that it wasn’t something she could figure out in one night, after all she hadn’t figured it out in the last 7 years! Kathryn moved to her bathroom, collected her favourite bath oils and ran the water, to hell with her water rations this month, she needed a soak. With the hot water running she added the Jasmine and Lavender oils to the water, noticing that she was running low on both oils and made a note to replicate some more once her new quota of rations came in... it would mean eating Neelix’s food for a week but it was worth it, and she could still have her coffee habit met.

She removed her clothing and placed it in to the refresher unit with her uniform and set it going, then she slipped in to the still running water, instantly feeling the stress and worries of the day easing away. She sighed happily and immersed herself in the water, coming back up only to switch off the water, she didn’t want to flood her quarters after all, having to explain the reason she needed a new load of electronic equipment to B’Elanna would be interesting.

Kathryn let her mind wander away from her relationship with her First Officer and his relationship with both her and Seven of Nine, to more pleasant and easier subjects, she remembered the conversation from the Bridge earlier with Tom and Harry about their new adventures for Captain Proton and Buster Kincaid, maybe she would resurrect her Queen Arachnia character, she could use some distraction from daily command tasks and she enjoyed spending time with both Tom and Harry, they were like her adopted Son’s on board, Tom was the wayward son, who had a heart of gold and had made her proud at how he had grown from a childish boy when he first accepted her offer in the New Zealand Penal colony into a loyal, strong man, husband and now father, Harry was the son who was always eager to prove himself to her when they first started out in to a confident young officer who knew his own mind. Kathryn smiled at the memories, letting her mind wander further.

After a while she started to feel drowsy and felt her eyes start to close, and the water was starting to get cold, she stepped out of the tub, collected her towel and walked over to her dresser, opened the draw and looked for her night shirt. Finding nothing from her ‘usual’ selection she rummaged further in to the draw until her fingers skimmed something linen, she stopped and smiled. Pulling the item out of the draw memories of the last time she saw it flooded her brain.

It was New Earth, just after the storm that had destroyed her research and made her finally accept that they would be there for the rest of their lives together. Chakotay had asked her for her opinion on a boat he had wanted to build, after having such success with the bathtub he had made for her, they had been happy together, an ease in their relationship that hadn’t been there on Voyager before, it had taken the removal of protocols and command for her to relax enough for their relationship to form to more than just Captain and Commander. It was also when Chakotay had told her the ‘Legend of the Angry Warrior’, his thinly veiled way of telling her how he truly felt before admitting it to her after, she had almost told him then too but had held back believing they had all the time in the world.

Chakotay’s shirt was warm in her hand, she put it on, the smell of him washed over her like a comfort blanket, and she instantly felt exhausted, she fell in to a deep dreamless sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

**_ Chakotay _ **

She had pushed him back again! Frustration and hurt fought for dominance in his chest.

“Why every time we get close does she pull away!” He growled to himself, the last 7 years of almost finding happiness with Kathryn getting the better of him. Chakotay paced back and forth too angry to sleep. He decided the only way he was ever going to relax tonight was to hit something, and the holodeck was the only place he could do that without getting in to trouble with Tuvok or the Captain... he didn't fancy explaining to anyone what had got him so fired up.

Chakotay decided to change in to his workout clothes and grabbed his boxing gloves on the way out the door. He walked swiftly to the turbo lift, not wanting to run in to anyone in the corridor, he breathed a sigh of relief when he reached it and there was no one inside or in sight.

“Holodeck 2” He ordered the computer and the lift started to move, standing there he could feel his anger bubbling within him, he tried to push it down to use as a fuel to hit the bag rather than anything else. He attempted to relax his breathing as it was getting more rapid the angrier he got.

Finally the turbo lift reached deck 6 and he stepped out of the turbo lift and collided with one of the main people he had been avoiding... Seven


	9. An Awkward Conversation

_"Seven....I...uh... wasn't expecting to see you" Chakotay stuttered, he felt the anger he had been feeling after his conversation with Kathryn earlier start to replace itself with shame at the situation he had caused with both women._

_"Why should you expect to see me Commander" Seven coolly replied, "There was no reason for our paths to cross at this time of night, it is after all 0200"_

 

_'Oh right' I hadn't realised it was so late, I was having trouble sleeping so was going to head to the holodeck for a workout with Boothby" He stopped realising he was babbling to Seven._

_She raised an eyebrow, her borg implant around her eye shimmered in the light "I was unable to regenerate this evening so thought it more efficient to use my time catologing the planets in this sector so we can resupply if needed or find tactical advantages should the Yaksori prove less than friendly" Seven shared the same fears as Captain Janeway and wanted to be ahead of the game if needed._

_"Good plan... umm... Do you want a hand with it, I think we should talk and we would get the work done faster if we worked together."_

_"That would be... acceptable Commander. Do you need to change first?" Seven motioned to the sports wears Chakotay was wearing_

_"I'm happy enough with this if you don't mind, unless it makes you feel uncomfortable?" He smiled remembering that Seven had rarely seen him in civilian clothing._

_"It is of not bother to me Commander"_

_Why did she keep using his rank? Chakotay had thought they were on a more intimate path lately, was it because he had taken a step away from her and a step towards Kathryn?_

_"Seven, we aren't on duty now, you can call me Chakotay" She mulled it over briefly before simply nodding her OK at using his name_

_They stepped in to the Turbo lift Chakotay had just vacated, and gave the command for it to take them to Astrometrics, they rode in silence, the tension palpable between them. Had thier personal relationship been this awkward or was it just the weight of things unsaid between them making it feel this way. Whatever it was Seven knew that they needed to resolve it before it effected thier professional relationship too and became noticable by the rest of the crew._

_"Computer, halt turbo lift" The lift slide to a stop "Chakotay... we should dicuss our personal relationship now before it interferes with our professional relationship" Seven of Nine was blunt to the point of rudeness at times, but she was right the majority of the time_

_"OK, lets have this out now Seven" Chakotay cleared his throat and decided it was best to start with the truth, Seven deserved that much_

_"I am sorry that I cancelled our date that we had planned, and that I lied to you regarding why, that was unfair... but I understand from the Captain that you know I had dinner with her and that it was not a working dinner, it was a personal one. You see my relationship with Kathryn is very important to me, and ultimately the rest of the crew as it allows our professional relationship to function as well, the 2 relationships are linked for us, they always have been. She has been pulling away from me lately and we hadn't made anytime for our friendship either, last night was an effort to fix that, and I think it has started us on the right path, but it may take a while to fully repair. Seven, I asked to take a step away from our relationship as I am unsure where the relationship with Kathryn will end up, and I don't want to be unfair to you and let this between us develop further, only to end up hurting you in the long run. Do you understand?"_

_"I understand Chakotay, however haven't you and the Captain been friends for that last 7 years without the actions of either yourself or her effecting your relationship to the point of no return? Why should this occasion be any different?" Seven felt anger bubble inside her, for a moment she was worried that it could cause a shut down of her failsafe again, and made a mental note to reschedule the operation with the Doctor for as soon as possible._

_"I am not sure Seven, this time just feels different, like we are standing on the edge of something big but neither are sure how to proceed" Chakotay was being more open than he had originally planned, but the Seven deserved no less and she had a certain way of looking at things that made him think, he valued her opinions on things and had come to trust her._

_"Then, I shall put my feelings aside for you, and allow you to pursue your relationship with the Captain however you wish, do not concern yourself with my feelings on the matter any longer Commander" She was closing down and using his rank again, Chakotay felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Seven had done nothing but try to open herself and her heart to him and in return he had trampled it._

_"If that is what you would like Seven, I will respect that, but know I am always here if you need to talk, I hope you will still consider me a friend if nothing more. Do you still want me to give you a hand with the catologing?'_

_"No thank you Commander, I would prefer to be alone" She replied in her cold borg manner._

_"If you wish, I will return to my quarters" Chakotay paused, Seven simply stared forward at the doors of the lift._

_"Computer, resume"_


	10. Musings in the Night

**_ Seven of Nine _ **

 

Seven and Chakotay rode the rest of the way to Astrometrics in silence. Seven was lost in thought about what had been said and trying to control her emotions, attempting to stop them getting the better of her. It was getting harder to do. She stood there, silently fighting her emotions, flexing her hands at her sides in an effort to control it, wishing that the lift would move faster so she could be alone and bury herself in data.   


After what felt like an eternity the lift halted on Deck 8 where Astrometrics was located, Seven breathed a sigh of relief, turning to Chakotay she simply nodded and stepped out heading towards the Astrometrics lab and solitude. She stopped when she turned the corner out of sight of the lift, knowing that the doors will already have closed and had probably been given the command by Chakotay to go to his quarters on Deck 3... Next door to the Captain, Seven thought and felt anger and jealousy build inside her again.   


She shook her head, there was no way she would be able to get any work done in this state, she decided that she needed to talk and there was only one member of the crew she was certain would be available to her. She turned and walked back to the turbo lift, after a moment it arrived, she stepped in, "Deck 5" she commanded, the computer bleeped in compliance, the doors closed and the lift slide in to motion.   


Once on Deck 5 she stepped out and briskly walked to her destination, the doors whooshed open and she was greeted by the comforting dim light and machines bleeping quietly.   


“Computer activate EMH" 

 

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency" The standard activation greeting rang out, before the EMH turned to see who had activated his programme "Seven, what can I do for you?"   


"I am unable to regenerate and there is something I need to discuss... with a friend, if you don't mind" Seven hesitated, she needed to talk and the Doctor had always been kind to her.   


"Of course Seven" His tone was soft and gentle, something it always was with Seven of Nine   


"A few months ago we discussed removing my failsafe on my emotions, however the we had to cancel and I had never got around to rescheduling it. And lately I have needed to keep an eye on my emotions more often, I don't want to cause another shut down" Seven was getting the technical out of the way first, leaving the Doctor to gently probe   


"Oh, have you been exploring your emotional side again, more time with the Commander Chakotay hologram perhaps" He felt jealous of that hologram, after all the EMH had developed feelings for his favourite Drone   


Seven blushed, she knew that the Doctor knew about her time with the holographic version of Voyager's First Officer, but he was not aware that the fantasy had become a reality.   
"No Doctor, not the holographic Chakotay. Can we speak with Doctor Patient confidentiality?"   


"Of course Seven, nothing you say here will leave this room. You have my word"   


"The Commander and I have been exploring a romantic relationship recently, however he has decided to call it off, and as a result I have been finding it difficult to control my emotions as they feel stronger than before when they caused the problem. I do not wish to have another...malfunction Doctor.”   


“Understandable. I had not realised that your relationship with the Commander had progressed outside the holodeck” Was it Seven’s imagination or did the EMH sound hurt by her admission?   


“It is a recent development” She smiled   


”And yet your emotions for him are strong, is he aware of this?” the Doctor probed  


“I believe he has stronger feelings for...someone else than he does for me” Seven was unsure if she should tell the EMH that it was the Captain who was her rival for the Commanders affections, judging by the gossip on the ship it was no secret of the bond that the Command team had, and many suspected that they were already a couple and had been for some time, before Seven's arrival on-board.  


The Doctor smiled back at her, he couldn't imagine someone who Chakotay could want more than Seven of Nine, to him she was perfection, and he had long harboured feelings for the ex-drone which, ever since his outburst when he thought he was about to die, he was sure she was aware of and therefore he kept a tight rein on them.   


“Seven... humans have a hard time with their less complicated emotions, let along their romantic feelings, which I am lead to believe are among the most complicated. If there is someone else he has feelings for then perhaps it is better to let them sort it out between them, and you can then be free to move on to someone else that has equal feelings for you.” He looked at her and smiled, he didn't want to automatically assume she would choose him.  


“Perhaps in time Doctor, but for now I would like to feel the way I do without the fear of it causing further complications” She shifted on the biobed, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to open up to the Doctor, given his own feelings towards her.  


“Right. I have an opening this morning if you would like, 0800, I only need an hour and you will be back up on your feet by 0930 at the latest”  


“I am available Doctor, thank you”  


“Excellent, shall I inform the Captain that you...” the EMH stopped seeing Seven's face pale at the mention of the Captain. “Seven, is there something going on with you and Captain Janeway?”  


“No, not directly Doctor. I shall inform her myself that I will be unavailable for that time, do you wish to be deactivated when I leave Doctor?” Seven asked as she headed towards the door.  


“No thank you Seven, I need to prepare for your surgery.” He was worried about her but decided against probing further as he knew she would come to him when she was ready, and he had a feeling that the problem between her and the Commander had something to do with the Captain.  
He stood back against the bed she had just vacated and watched her leave feeling troubled for his friend.

 ** _Chakotay_**  


He headed back to his quarters; his mind more troubled than it had been after his dinner with Kathryn had ended. He hadn't expected to see Seven this evening, but then he should have known that the ex-Borg would be up at strange hours on-board ship, she had told him that she was having trouble regenerating recently, ever since her cortical node had failed.  


Once he entered the comforting dark of his quarters his thoughts immediately turned to the woman on the other side of the bulkhead... was she sleeping? Did she think of him this much when they had a dinner like the one tonight? Was she having trouble sleeping? Could he go to her?   


“Computer, locate Captain Janeway”  
**Captain Janeway is in her quarters**  
“Is she awake” might as well find out if there was any point in tormenting himself.  
**Affirmative** came the answer.  


Well, that answered that question. Now what was he going to do about it?   
Without thinking any further, he decided to act on instinct. Chakotay headed to the shower, removing his gym kit he gave the computer the instruction to activate the sonic shower, he wanted to feel clean after everything tonight, he quickly stepped in and felt the dirty lift off his skin, he stepped out and reached for the towel, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror... not bad he thought to himself, not as toned as he had once been but still not bad.   
Shaking his head he moved over to the wardrobe and dressed in his uniform, all except his jacket, he wanted to be in uniform but not allow rank to get in the way; he wanted Kathryn to see him as both Chakotay and her First Officer.   


He headed out the doors to his quarters and headed next door to Kathryn; he hit the comm. button and heard the chime sound inside. A few moments later Kathryn came to the door, wearing just his shirt! 

  
**

  


_She stopped at the door, her breath caught. “Chakotay' I wasn't expecting to see you again tonight” She blushed._  


_“I can see that. Kathryn is that my shirt?” He almost laughed_  
_Kathryn stepped back from the door, allowing him in, not wanting to have this conversation in the corridor where anyone could see them, more specifically her in Voyager's First Officers shirt. She had heard the gossip about them and did not what to add fuel to the fire._  


_Chakotay stepped in, still stunned that the Captain was in his shirt, he was trying to remember when the last time he saw that shirt was. It suddenly clicked... New Earth, nearly 4 years ago!_  


_“What can I do for you at this hour Chakotay?” Kathryn completely ignored the shirt question, he knew the answer, did he really need her to confirm it._  


_“Sorry, I am just a little surprised that you are wearing my shirt Kathryn, have you had it since New Earth? Do you wear it a lot?” The images of her in his shirt in bed flooded his brain._  


_She smiled shyly “Yes I found it in one of my containers from New Earth when I was unpacking; I guess it got mixed up with my things... I just kind of kept hold of it, I don't quite know why” She lied, Kathryn knew exactly why she had kept it, she wanted to remember their time together, time when they were more than just friends, time when for a moment they could of been something more._  


_“And you wear it?” Chakotay asked the answer obvious but he wanted to know why._  


_“Clearly” She made an indication with her hands_  


_“Why?”_  


_She sighed, well he knew she wore it she might as well be honest with him “I wear it when I want comfort, and to remember a happier time... remember you and me, and New Earth. The possibilities we had then” She smiled at him and moved to the sofa under the viewport, her favourite place in her quarters' she heard him move to join her._  
_“I often think of the 'ancient legend' you told me, my angry warrior” She said almost to the air_  


_“I do to, my woman warrior” He smiled remembering the evening that they had admitted their feelings for each other, it felt like another life, almost a separate life when the walls of command had disappeared._  


_Kathryn smiled at him, she had never heard him refer to her as 'his woman warrior' before. I t felt possessive, protective and it made her heart sing._  


_“Do you wish Tuvok and the crew had left us there Kathryn?” Chakotay was curious and he wasn't sure that he would ever see her this open with him again._  


_“Some days, others I am glad to be out here with all of them, we are like a family on-board, especially now with Tom and B’Elanna baby due at any moment. But the days when we are constantly under attack or when I have to send someone on a dangerous away mission I wish that we had been left to live out our lives on New Earth. What about you?” She was still staring out the window, her eyes looking past the stars in to the nothingness between._  


_“Some days, mainly when you are withdrawn and the stress of being 'the Captain' is visibly weighing on you, I remember the carefree way you laughed then, the way you relaxed... and that I got to see the real Kathryn Janeway, the woman I had suspected was hidden under Captain Janeway” Chakotay stopped short of saying 'because I got to touch you, a chance to be loved openly by you', he sighed “But then Tuvok, with his impeccable Vulcan timing, showed up and Kathryn was hidden back under the Captain” He looked at her, seeing her shoulders sag with the weight of what he had said_  


_“I understand that Chakotay, I hated burying Kathryn under the Captain again, you deserved better”_  


_“We both did Kathryn” He stated, Kathryn simply nodded in agreement “We both decided at the time that we needed to put 'us' on hold and be what Voyager needed us to be, but haven't we done that for long enough now? The crew are as good as they have ever been, families are starting to form, there are more couples living together now so I doubt it will be long before more children come along now. Don't we deserve to take 'us' off hold?” He sat down next to her, and placed his hand on her arm, feeling her jump slightly at the contact but she didn't pull away._  


_“I want to Chakotay, I really do but I just don't know... how” She finally admitted it to him and to herself._  


_Chakotay was shocked by her admission, his heart skipped a beat and swelled with joy._  
_“It is something we can work on together Kathryn, if it is something that you want to do” Chakotay was hopeful that she would be._  


_She leaned over and placed a hand on his arm; he covered her hand with his and ran his thumb lightly over her knuckles._  
_“I would like that Chakotay, most of the crew already believe we are together and it doesn't seem to have affected them” She gave him one of her famous lopsided smiles_  


_He grinned, he knew what the crew said about them, but didn't know that she did, if anyone had seen her in his shirt that would have only confirmed their theories._  
_“Have breakfast with me in the morning Kathryn, I know it’s not far away but we could both use some sleep... and I for 1 have some new images to add to my dreams” He gave her one of his cheekiest grins and tugged at the material of the shirt she wore. She blushed_  


_Chakotay rose from the sofa and ran his hand over her cheek, feeling her lean in to his palm “Sleep well Kathryn, tomorrow is a new day and a new start”_  
_He turned and headed for the door before calling over his shoulder “Oh and Kathryn, keep the shirt, it looks much better on you than it ever did on me”_

 


	11. Attacked

**_ Kathryn _ **

                Kathryn entered the Bridge, ready to start her shift, she paused at the railing and mentally took note as to who was on shift, not that she needed to, Alpha shift had not changed in the 7 years they had been out there, but this morning things felt different... lighter somehow.

                Her breakfast with Chakotay had been light and full of stolen glances, brief touches and flirtatious smiling. He seemed happy just to be in her company again, just like they had been in the beginning, before the Delta Quadrant had got in the way of their relationship, before the constant battling for survival, negotiations with Alien races, protocols and the stress of general day to day living out here. Kathryn hadn’t realised until now how much she had missed the easy relationship with her First Officer and friend.

                Pushing off from the rail she passed Tuvok at tactical, turned to take her usual position in her chair, noticing that there was a coffee waiting for her on the centre console, placed there by Chakotay, who sat staring at the reports coming up, he glanced out of the corner of his eye, noticed her and smiled to himself, like they was a secret between them. Kathryn rolled her eyes inwardly as the corner of her mouth lifted in a lopsided smile. She sat down, taking her coffee in hand.

                “Let’s have an update Mr. Paris” She ordered

                “Speed is currently Warp 5, same heading as you left us last night, there have been no course alterations registered. Looks like it was a quiet night Captain” Tom turned to face her and gave him one of his winning smiles, “And on a personal note, B’E had _another_ false alarm last night so I am opening a pool for when this baby will grace us with her presence. What can I put you down for?”

                Kathryn thought for a moment. “That’s the 3rd false alarm, sounds like this baby is getting ready to me, put me down for this time next week Tom. I hope for B’Elanna I am wrong.” She looked at her helmsman, she was fond of Tom, “And for your sake too Tom, looks like these false alarms are taking their toll on your beauty sleep”

                Tom laughed, “Uh thanks Captain... I think”

                Tom turned back to the view screen, Kathryn turned to Chakotay “Anything interesting to report about last night Commander?” Her eyes sparkled at him, remembering him finding her in his shirt and their admissions to each other, he returned her look.

                “Nothing that requires much of our attention Captain, however Ops do report that the Yaksori security vessel appears to be shadowing us, staying on the edge of our sensors. That could be something to watch out for, I get an uneasy feeling from them” Chakotay replied, keeping his tone professional, not wanting to alert the Bridge crew to a change in the relationship between their command team.

                Tom turned slightly and caught Harry Kim’s eye at this Ops station, he simply raised an eyebrow and flicked his eyes towards the Captain and Commander with their heads closer together than they had been for months and the air around them all felt lighter, as it had when they first entered the Delta Quadrant. Harry saw Tom’s movements and nodded once, indicating he understood what his friend was saying. They had been friends for so long that they didn’t need words anymore. Tuvok had noticed too, however being Vulcan he did not show any emotion, instead he simply raised an eyebrow to indicate his acknowledgement of the lighter mood on the Bridge.

                “Good plan Commander, Harry keep a lock on the Yaksori, I want to know if they so much as twitch, they give me a bad feeling, and I have learnt to trust my feelings” She stood, collected her coffee and turned, calling over her shoulder “ If anything should change with them Commander, I will be in my Ready Room”

                “Aye Captain” came his standard response as the doors slid closed.

                Kathryn rounded her desk and sat back in her chair, she didn’t have a lot to do in her office but sitting that close to Chakotay was making her hands itch to touch him, something which she hadn’t been doing as much lately she suddenly realised, she was a tactile person, always had been, when had that changed? She frowned trying to think, perhaps it was after the Equinox incident, she had come so close to actually hurting someone, becoming so lost in her anger towards the actions of Captain Ransom and his crew, realising that she could see why he had done what he had done in order to get his crew home. She had pulled away from her crew while she dealt with her feelings alone; she had even pulled away from Chakotay and Tuvok, her 2 closest friends aboard ship. Since then she hadn’t really felt herself again, she had kept her emotions in check and therefore not been as tactile as before, so starting now with Chakotay would only raise eyebrows... more than the ones she had noticed being exchanged between Tom and Harry.

                She sighed and turned on her computer terminal, she might as well learn what she could about the Yaksori vessel from their scans, which should at least give her an idea of how to defend Voyager if things turned nasty. She smiled to herself, this was the kind of thing she needed Chakotay for, he was a tactical trainer at Starfleet academy and knew a few Marquis tricks that they could use.

                “Janeway to Chakotay”

                “Chakotay here Captain” came the quick response

                “Commander, I am going over the information we have on the Yaksori vessel, I was hoping to get your input on possible defence strategies. Would you mind joining me in my Ready Room when duties allow?” Janeway phrased it as a question but Chakotay knew it wasn’t one.

                “I’ll be right there, Chakotay out”

**

                _A few moments later, after handing the Bridge over to Tuvok, Chakotay hit the chime and entered Kathryn’s Ready Room. In the time between calling him on the comm. She had made her way to the replicator, ordered a Black coffee and a Tea for Chakotay, she indicated to the sofa for Chakotay to sit._

_“Thought we would be more comfortable on the sofa than leaning over the desk at awkward angles” She smiled as Chakotay nodded and took a seat, Kathryn handed him his tea and sat down next to him, breathing in the scent of her favourite drink as she did so. This wasn’t proper coffee, not like the coffee her mother used to make back on Earth, the replicator never really made it the same, each mug was identical to the last, never slightly stronger or bitter... just the same, a wave of sadness washed over her as she thought of her mother and wondered what she would be doing now, if she was even still alive on Earth. Kathryn shook her head and tried to shake off the feeling._

_“Where are you Kathryn, you looked a million light years away” Chakotay saw the sadness wash over her face, most of the crew would of noticed it, but he knew her better than anyone else on on-board, perhaps with the exception of Tuvok._

_“Oh, only about 50,000 Commander. I was thinking of the coffee my mother makes and wondering what she was doing now.” She cleared her throat, not allowing the emotions swirling around inside her from over taking “Now we need to look at what we can do to stop this lot of aliens from stopping us getting home this time” She reached over and patted his thigh, letting him know she wanted to drop the subject of her mother._

_“OK Captain, let’s get to it” Chakotay used her rank and they got down to business._

_Sometime later they looked up from the computer screen and PADDs they were working on, having discovered that although the Yaksori were larger and looked more intimidating, Voyager was far more manoeuvrable, although their phasers were on an even par with each other Voyager had the advantage of their photon torpedoes. Both Kathryn and Chakotay leaned back in to the sofa, happy with the work they had done._

_“Well it doesn’t look like we will have too much trouble if we end up in a fight with one of these ships, if we have more than that we may have to rely on Tom’s fancy flying and your Marquis moves” Kathryn smiled, she knew she could rely on her crew, Chakotay simply nodded in agreement._

_“Sickbay to the Captain”_

_“Janeway here Doctor, what is it”_

_“I thought you would like to know that Lt. Torres is in Labour, I have already notified Mr. Paris and he is on his way” In the background Kathryn could hear her Chief Engineer growling through the pain._

_“Thank you for letting me know Doctor, Janeway out” She tapped her comm. Badge to close the link “Damn, guess I lost the bet” Chakotay and she both laughed._

_“Me too, I had 5 more days yet before I would win” He chuckled_

_“This will be the 2 nd baby born on Voyager, and I’m still not sure if I should be welcoming them or apologising to them” _

_“Naomi seems to have grown up very well Kathryn, she is one of the brightest children I know...She is the only child I know who is a Captains Assistant” He nudged her arm making her laugh again._

_“She is a very good Captains Assistant I will have you know. But then I think of all the things we have gone through in her short life, losing the ship to the Kazon, yes we got it back but we nearly lost her, the attacks from Hirogen, Borg, Species 8472, the Devore Imperium to name a few of them, and how many times has she nearly lost her mother, and Sam doesn’t go on half as many away missions as B’Elanna or Tom”_

_“You sound frightened for the child, rather than uncertain of welcoming them on-board Kathryn, which is a good thing. And you are forgetting one thing... this child has 2 parents on-board this ship, one of which is the best pilot I have ever known and the other being the feistiest half Klingon I know. Do you think either of them will ever let anything happen to this baby... not to mention the rest of the crew, including their Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Chakotay” He placed his hand over Kathryn’s and tried to ease her fears._

_“Your right, I guess I will just have to get used to Voyager becoming a generational ship. Not something I ever wanted for it, I am still hoping to get home while I am still Captain and not one of our descendants” She was sad again, but she was finally voicing her fears and would never voice them to anyone other than the man sitting beside her, giving her his quiet strength and support._

_“You will, and until then I am quite happy to explore things on Voyager.” He turned towards her more and placed his hand over her cheek, feeling her turn in to his palm, “Particularly with her Captain”_

_Kathryn blushed slightly “Sounds like a dangerous exploration to me Commander” He voice was a husky whisper, sending shivers up Chakotay’s spine._

_He leaned in to her, stroking her cheek and feeling her relax, “It may be dangerous Kathryn, but I have a feeling the outcome will be worth it” He kissed lightly, feeling her lips part and soften against his, she lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair before resting it on the back of his neck. Their kiss intensified and became heated, years of wanting and imagining finally being realised._

_“Tuvok to Captain Janeway”_

_They jumped apart, breathless and grinned at each other, Kathryn rolled her eyes, “Tuvok and his Vulcan timing” She whispered as she tapped her comm. Badge “Janeway here”_

_“Captain, the Yaksori vessel has come in to communications range and are advancing at a rapid pace. You wanted to know if they ‘twitched’, I would consider this a significant ‘twitch’” His even tone clear as ever._

_“Thank you, the Commander and I will be right there” She looked at Chakotay and gave him a lopsided smile as she closed the comm. Link “I swear he knows when something is happening between us, he must have a lock on with you or me”_

_“More likely you Kathryn, I doubt he is too worried about me, but you are like a daughter to him.” He stoked her cheek again “Being corrupted by a Marquis outlaw of a First Officer” His tone took on a dangerous husky tone, making Kathryn almost melt under his touch_

_“Perhaps you aren’t the one doing the corrupting Chakotay, who says I’m not the bad influence” She whispered on his lips, giving him a quick kiss again she got up from her seat and headed towards the door. “Are you coming Commander, we have a twitchy ship out there and a Chief Engineer who needs up to protect her right now” She turned and headed on to the Bridge with Chakotay hot on her heels._

_“Report” Kathryn ordered as they stepped on to the command platform, her Captain’s mask fully in place, the Kathryn of a moment ago taking a back seat while her ship was threatened._

_“Captain, the Yaksori vessel is continuing to gain speed and close the gap between us, they are not answering our hails and their weapons are charged.” Tuvok reported from his tactical station “Have you and the Commander learned anything of use from your analysis of the data from our sensors?”_

_“Yes, we appear to have the advantage when we are facing them one on one, their phasers are a match to ours, however they are less manoeuvrable and do not appear to have any additional weapons” Captain Janeway reported to her bridge crew, noticing for the first time that Tom wasn’t at the helm as he was in Sickbay with his wife. “Chakotay do you think we should get Tom up here from Sickbay and face B’Elanna being angry with us or not”_

_Chakotay thought for a moment, then shook his head, “As things stand I think we have it covered, I will take the helm, I’m more scared of an angry B’Elanna than I am of the Yaksori if I am honest” He smiled, knowing that all the Bridge crew understood what he meant having all faced B’Elanna’s temper at one time or another._

_Kathryn nodded and indicated for Chakotay to take the chair at the helm. Stepping back in to her chair she opened the centre console and set it to display the tactical data from the ship. “Harry open a channel to the Yaksori vessel let’s see if they respond”_

_“Channel open Captain” Kim replied_

_“Yaksori Vessel, this is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Star ship Voyager, please respond”_

_The screen changed from the stars to the inside of the Yaksori Bridge, and Yanish smiling at them, it set Kathryn’s teeth on edge. “Captain, how nice to see you again”_

_“Have we done something to offend you?”_

_“No no, just standard tactical drills” He sneered, revealing sharp pointed teeth_

_“Is that so, then why, may I ask, are you heading straight for us with your weapons charged?” Captain Janeway asked_

_“Oh I hadn’t noticed we were heading for you Captain”_

_“Really, I find that hard to believe. I suggest you back off Yanish, we will defend ourselves” She growled at him_

_“If you say so Captain” He merely sneered more and closed the link._

_Kathryn sighed, hands on her hips and turned to Chakotay “Well that went well, so much for him simply wanting to help us”, she rolled her eyes._

_“Your instincts about him appear justified Captain” Tuvok spoke up, raising his eyebrow in his trademark sign of annoyance, whatever annoyance looked like on a Vulcan_

_“Tuvok, are they still heading for us with their weapons charged?” Captain Janeway asked_

_“Affirmative Captain”_

_She rolled her eyes again, and ran her hand over her hair “OK, raise shields and charge weapons, I don’t want them to think we are just going to sit back and take it.” She moved back towards her chair, “Harry, let me know when they are in weapons range”. She sat and crossed her legs, “Commander, keep our speed and heading, we aren’t going to run or even look like we are”_

_Chakotay nodded and tapped a few keys and turned to face the command platform. “We know we have information on them, we can only assume they have at least the same on us. They must know that we have the advantage over them”_

_“Unless they have something that our scans didn’t detect, or they are so cocky that they believe they can take us anyway” Kathryn replied “Janeway to Seven of Nine”_

_“Yes Captain” Seven responded_

_“What do you know about the Yaksori, I am assuming that the Borg have run in to them” Kathryn asked_

_“Affirmative Captain, the Borg designation is species 428. They make excellent drones. They have also been known to quickly adapt to the tactics used by those whom they engage in battle. I would advise caution when battling them, we may only be able to use each attack pattern a couple of times before they have adapted”_

_“Useful information Seven thank you, were you able to find anything useful in this system we could use to our advantage?” Kathryn asked, Chakotay had told her at breakfast that Seven was looking in to the system._

_“I am afraid not Captain, this area of space seems devoid of any spacial or planetary phenomena that may be of use to us.”_

_“Thank you Seven, I would like you to join us on the bridge, your knowledge of the Yaksori may prove more useful if we engage them. Janeway Out” She tapped her badge knowing the ex-drone would appear on the Bridge in a minute or two._

_The air on the Bridge seemed to almost crackle with tension for the almost certain upcoming battle that they were facing, it usually did, everyone was trained and came in to their own when in battle. Kathryn tried to keep her own feelings under wraps but gripped the arms of her chair slightly harder. She suddenly thought of B’Elanna and Tom in Sickbay, she needed to inform the Doctor that he may need to expect casualties if they did engage Yanish. She tapped her badge again._

_“Janeway to the Doctor”_

_“I’m a little busy at the moment Captain” The Doctor sounded stressed, in the background Kathryn could hear Tom trying to calmly encourage his wife to push._

_“Yes Doctor I am aware, I just wanted to inform you that we are about to possibly engage the Yaksori and there may be casualties” The Captain kept her voice as calm and controlled as her training allowed_

_“Thank you Captain, thankfully I have Mr Paris with me so if that is the case... Push B’Elanna... then he may prove more use to me as a medic than an expectant father”_

_“Like hell he will” B’Elanna growled making Kathryn smile_

_“We are doing all we can to keep Tom with you B’Elanna, just you concentrate on delivering your baby, I will worry about keeping the ship as calm as possible for you” Janeway spoke directly to the half Klingon fondly, she had become close with her in the last few years. The only reply she got was a primal growl as B’Elanna gave in to her body trying to deliver._

_“Thank you Captain, let me know if I am needed on the Bridge” Tom chimed in_

_“It’s OK Tom, the Doctor is right you will be better there as a field medic if we take any casualties. Chakotay has things in hand at the Con.” Janeway nodded towards the Commander as he smiled at her, glad she had faith in his abilities._

_“Excellent, thank you Captain, Doctor out” the line closed just as B’Elanna started to shout a mix of Klingon and Terran abuse at her husband, making Kathryn chuckle and Harry smile in sympathy for Voyagers Helmsman._

_“I would not like to be Tom or the Doctor right now” Harry laughed “Give me the Borg over B’E shouting at me any day”_

_“Agreed! Right let’s get back to the matter in hand, we have a new family to protect down in Sickbay and I for one intend for them to have a smooth welcome” Kathryn said, turning the crews attention back to the ever approaching Yaksori vessel._

_“They are still heading for us Captain and their weapons are charged” Tuvok stated, “They are entering weapons range”_

_“Red Alert, Shields up” Captain Janeway ordered, the lights dimmed and the alarm rang throughout the ship. The ship suddenly shook with a phaser fire hit._

_“Damage report” Kathryn barked, as the turbo lift doors slide open and Seven of Nine stepped out reaching her station above the command platform a moment later._

_“Minimal damage, shields are down 5%” Tuvok reported_

_“Target their phaser banks and fire”_

_“Firing....direct hit, minimal damage Captain”_

_“Chakotay, evasive pattern Delta” She ordered, Chakotay hit a few more keys and the ship banked hard to the left, narrowly avoiding return phaser fire._

_“Tuvok, keep on at their phaser banks, I want this to be quick but I’m not about to waste torpedoes if we don’t have to” Kathryn knew that Tuvok would fire as much and as often as he could in order to effect maximum damage with as little energy expended._

_The ship shook again, “Shields down 10%, their weapons don’t seem to be charged to maximum, its like they are pecking at us Captain” Harry shouted, braced against his console._

_“I would concur Captain, they seem to be attempting to learn our methods of defence, I would suggest making them more random” Seven spoke up from behind the Captain._

_“Commander, use your digression, and maybe a few of those Marquis tricks if needed, the best ones I would like to keep hidden up our sleeve for now though”_

_“Aye Captain” Chakotay stared at the ship filling their view screen, tapped a few keys and Voyager was thrown back to the right, phaser fire skimming the shields. “Sorry that was a bit close” He called to no one in particular._

_Kathryn gripped the arms of her chair harder as she was thrown back and forth by the movement of the ship under Chakotay’s commands, briefly she wondered what she would be like under his commands but let that thought quickly leave again, not wanting to be distracted from the situation. She watched the view screen as streaks of phaser fire continued to be passed between the 2 vessels, neither one seeming to cause much damage to the other, until there was a sudden flash from the Yaksori vessel, Kathryn turned to Tuvok for an answer._

_“The vessels engines have been disabled Captain” came the Vulcan’s cool answer._

_Kathryn grinned “Good work Mr. Tuvok”_

_“Captain, we are being hailed” Harry called out_

_“Open a Channel Mr. Kim” Kathryn ordered as she stood, hands on hips again “Yanish, what can we do for you? You appear to be having a little engine trouble” She sneered_

_“You may have won this time Captain, but next time will be different” He spat out_

_“I look forward to it. End transmission” She snapped, the view screen flicked back to the sight of the damaged Yaksori Vessel “Commander, get us out of here, previous heading, maximum warp, I want to be out of their territory as soon as possible” She turned and sat back in her chair “Engage”_

_Voyager turned and her nessels glowed as the warp core engaged and entered in to maximum warp. Kathryn sat back in her Command chair and tried to figure out what that attack had been all about. “Harry, Tuvok I want a damage report as soon as possible. Something about that attack strikes me as odd. Seven, in your knowledge of the Yaksori is this normal behaviour for them?”_

_“The information the Borg have on them would indicate that this is their standard operating practice if there is a vessel they are interested in, however it is not usual for them to attack so strongly. I would suggest that there is another motive in play here” Seven thought for a moment, before adding “Perhaps they see you as the target, rather than Voyager herself Captain”_

_“Care to explain your reasoning behind that Seven” Kathryn was surprised that Seven would be so bold to say something like that to her in front of other members of the crew, maybe when she had first come aboard she would have done so but recently Seven had learnt that comments like that were better said in private._

_“Looking at the evidence Captain, they only answered hails when you were the one making it whereas they ignored Commander Tuvok’s, the Yaksori Captain’s demeanour when he first spoke to you was more friendly, and he took it as a personal affront that you beat him in battle. Perhaps he is after you, not Voyager.”_

_“You may be right Seven, but he should know the Voyager and I come as a package.” Kathryn turned and sighed again, “When those damage reports are ready I will be in my Ready Room” She said as she stalked off the Bridge._


	12. Aftermath

**_ Seven of Nine _ **

Seven felt... everything; all her emotions were swirling inside of her. The Doctor had removed her failsafe this morning, before her duty shirt had began, he had also warned her that she may experience a flood of emotions over take her, everything that had been damped down by the node and had suggested she take some time off duty to recover and regenerate until things settled down a bit. Seven had declined taking time off, instead she had returned to Astrometrics to complete her analysis of the data for this sector.

For most of the morning she had worked alone, which was how she preferred it, every so often she would feel a rush of an emotion, mainly anger. Anger at Chakotay, anger at the Borg for her assimilation, anger at her parents for taking an innocent 4 year old along on their Borg hunt in the first place, but mainly it was anger towards the Captain for taking her from the Borg and her relationship with Chakotay just as Seven had found balance with another individual since Axum in uni-matrix zero. Seven felt the anger bubbling just under the surface, she tried to ignore it as much as possible and half considered the Doctors suggestion to regenerate again, but again decided against it. That was when the call had come in from the Captain asking for her to join the Bridge crew for the battle with the Yaksori, yet another battle the Captain had got them in to for no apparent reason.

Seven had reached the Bridge as the first hit had struck them, making her stumble slightly to her station, she felt the burn of embarrassment hit her momentarily before her determination set in. She saw Commander Chakotay was at the helm rather than Tom Paris, the Captain stalking back to her seat and begin giving orders to direct the battle, Tuvok at tactical and Harry Kim at ops, all working together to accomplish one goal... to survive this fight. They had of course won the battle, and disabled the enemy ship. The Captain had asked Seven’s opinion on the battle, and the behaviour of the Yaksori. _If the Captain had asked me before this fight I could have warned her_ Seven thought, her anger bubbling closer to the surface.

“ _Perhaps he is after you, not Voyager”_ her emotions had got the better of her. Seven was annoyed more than anything, the ship was in danger because of the Captain, no other reason as far as Seven could see. As soon as the Captain left the Bridge, Seven turned on her heel and walked in to the Turbo lift, returning to the Astrometrics lab. Her anger and annoyance at Captain Janeway swirling round inside her head.

_Why put the ship and crew in danger just for one person? What sense does that make? Why couldn’t the Captain just go to the Yaksori and then they would leave Voyager alone? Surely it was the only clear choice, logical as Lt Tuvok would say. That would also leave the way clear for her relationship with Chakotay, without the Captain in the way, dangling herself in front of him, then Seven and Chakotay could be happy together, couldn’t they?_

Seven entered the Astrometrics lab to find Talle Celles working on the diagnostics Seven had requested done the day before.

“Those were to be completed yesterday Ensign” She snarled

“I...uh... I know Seven, I had some trouble with the console and some power fluctuations, Engineering had to repair some of the circuits for me” the young Bajoran stuttered.

“Very well” Seven turned and left the lab, not wanting to be around anyone, she headed to the Cargo bay and the solitude it provided her. She entered the dimness and immediately felt better, this was the most personal of spaces she had on-board, she shared the space with Icheb but the teenage ex-drone only used the area to regenerate or to teach Naomi Wildman on occasion. Seven was still angry with the Captain but at least on her own she could work through it to find a resolution that would help her overcome it to as satisfactory outcome.

**_ Chakotay _ **

Chakotay thanked the Gods that the battle with the Yaksori was short and relatively uneventful for a battle in the Delta Quadrant, he had hardly been able to concentrate on what he was doing; relying on instinct rather than thought, his mind was still swirling with the memory of kissing Kathryn in her Ready Room only a few moments before. He couldn’t believe she had finally let it happen.

Chakotay got up from the helm, an ensign automatically taking his vacated seat. He moved to his usual place on the command platform, and twisted to look at the centre console, collating the damage and casualty reports from all over the ship, he noted that there was only light damage to the phaser banks, which would take approximately 12 hours to repair, and the shield grid only needed minor repairs to get it back to full strength. He breathed a sigh of relief as there had only been one minor casualty, a crewman on deck 12 had stumbled and rolled their ankle, and Tom had been able to treat them while B’Elanna was in labour. The Doctor had added a note for the Bridge crew that she was doing well but it was likely to be a long night ahead of the couple so Tom would need to be relieved of duty until further notice, he didn’t want to leave his wife’s side. Chakotay smiled at that remembering the cocky young man who had come aboard his ship, the Val Jean, all those years ago in the Alpha Quadrant and only been one 1 mission before being captured by Starfleet and sent to the penal colony where Kathryn had met him, Chakotay would never have thought then that Tom Paris would become one of his closest friends and the Husband to his fiery half Klingon half Human engineer.

After compiling the data Chakotay downloaded it on to a PADD and took it to the Captain’s Ready Room, palming the chime.

“Come” came the Captain’s voice from within, full of control and command.

Chakotay stepped through the doors and saw Kathryn sitting at her desk, frowning at the computer terminal with her usual cup of coffee cooling next to it. He stepped forward and smiled when she glanced up, a sparkle lighting her steel blue eyes. “I have the damage and casualty report from the battle with the Yaksori vessel.” He paused, she indicated for him to go on “We only have light damage to the shield grid and the phaser banks, repair time is around 12 hours, we didn’t have any serious casualties, an ensign rolled his ankle on deck 12, Tom treated him when B’Elanna was being attended by the Doctor. The EMH has also noted that although B’Elanna is doing well it is likely to be a while yet so Tom will need to be relieved of duty until further notice. I have given the OK to that request... I don’t like upsetting B’E at the best of times let alone now” He smiled, when Kathryn didn’t respond to his smile, he frowned.

“What’s changed your mood Kathryn?” He asked, concerned she was about to say kissing him earlier was a mistake.

“This data from the battle with the Yaksori is confusing me, I can’t figure out why the attacked us Chakotay, it makes no sense” She leaned back and sighed, reaching for her coffee and cradling it in her hands.

“Do you think they had a motive other than Seven’s assumption it was to learn more about our defensive strategies?” Chakotay sounded concerned

“I’m not sure, Tuvok suggested earlier that there may be a personal element to them chasing us” She sighed again, and took a sip of her coffee, Chakotay knew he wasn’t going to like what she said next, he waited “He suggested that Yanish is after... me” Kathryn turned it her chair and looked up at Chakotay, embarrassment clear across her face.

“I see... so we could have another Q situation on our hands then?” Chakotay referred to the omnipotent pain of Starfleet, who had long tormented the crew of the Enterprise and had taken a liking to Voyager, or more accurately her Captain. Q had arrived a few years earlier claiming that he wanted to ‘mate’ with Kathryn and had pursued her with his powers for weeks, much to the irritation of the rest of the crew, it had also made Chakotay extremely jealous.

“No, I certainly don’t think so... at least if we do the Bridge won’t get filled with Rose’s and I know that I won’t have Yanish suddenly arrive in my bath tub” She smirked and cringed at the memory. Q had turned up twice in her bath tub; both times she had wanted to drown him in it!

Chakotay pulled on his ear, his discomfort evident to Kathryn; she stood up, and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Chakotay, don’t worry, he isn’t going to get anywhere near me. After all I have my very own Angry Warrior to protect me.” She cupped his cheek in her hand and ran her thumb down it, feeling him relax a little.

“I had worried you were regretting what happened earlier when I first saw you frowning when I came in.” He admitted

“The only thing I am regretting is that we were rudely interrupted” She grinned at him.

Chakotay let out a sigh of relief and turned in to her hand, placing a light kiss on her palm. “We will just have to pick up where we left off once this duty shift is over” He said huskily.

“I look forward to it” There was a cheeky glint in her eye; one Chakotay hadn’t seen for a long time, it made his heart stop. “I suppose I should get back out there, we don’t want Tuvok sending in a search party for me and catching us like this”

She reluctantly moved her hand away from his face, moving it down his chest and over his heart as she did so. It sent a shiver through Chakotay but left his skin feeling hot where she had touched him. “Probably a good idea, don’t want to add fuel to the already blazing gossip fire on this ship.”

He simply nodded, and turned to leave. He was almost at the doors sensor when he stopped and turned back, “Kathryn, are you free this evening for a stroll on the holodeck, get away from everything and relax together?”

“That would be wonderful Chakotay; shall we say 20:00?”

“Yes, holodeck 2, don’t be late Kathryn, I know what you are like” He joked; she simply giggled and returned to the computer screen she had been working on when he had entered the room.

Chakotay left the Captain’s Ready Room feeling lighter than he had originally thought he would, Kathryn didn’t regret kissing him, in fact the opposite was true, which excited Chakotay more than anything else had recently, could he be about to get everything he had ever wanted with Kathryn?


	13. Holodeck Time

_Kathryn had only just made it to the Holodeck on time, she had got caught up in work with Engineering after a power fluctuation from the phaser banks had caused a few issues and with B’Elanna out on maternity they had needed an extra pair of hands. Kathryn was always happy to get out of the Captain’s chair for a while and get her hands dirty and had offered to muck in, only realising the time when the next shift came on to relieve them. She should have finished 2 hours earlier._

_She rushed through the corridors of the ship and made it back to her quarters with just enough time to get showered and changed ready to meet Chakotay for their walk on the holodeck. She smiled as she came up to meet him, waiting outside for her. It wasn’t unusual for the crew to see their Command team together going to the holodeck as they often played velocity together or went for hikes so no one had even noticed._

_“Glad you could make it” He smiled_

_“Sorry, I was helping out in Engineering and time ran away from me” She apologised._

_Chakotay offered his arm to her “Shall we?”Kathryn took his arm and nodded. They stepped through the doors and entered the cool shade of a thick forest; the air smelt of pine and damp earth, a light breeze played across their skin and lightly lifted Kathryn’s hair. In the distance could be heard running water, winding its way through the earth._

_“Where are we?” Kathryn asked feeling herself relax almost instantly_

_“A forest I knew as a child, it’s in Germany on Earth, I believe it is part of the area known as the Black forest. My father bought me here once to try to ‘get in touch with the spirits’ as he put it” He replied, “I thought you would like it here, it’s peaceful. Something you haven’t really had recently”_

_“Thank you Chakotay, it’s wonderful. Do you have somewhere in particular you want to head towards or are we just going to walk around and enjoy the scenery?” She was curious, but knew that Chakotay probably had a destination in mind for them._

_“Ah now that would be a surprise now wouldn’t it” He laughed_

_“You know I hate surprises” She tapped his arm playfully_

_“I seem to remember 1 surprise I gave you that you rather enjoyed... the bath tub on New Earth” He clarified when she raised her eyebrow “As I remember you immediately used it and did so every night we were there”_

_“Well it was a beautiful tub Chakotay, and a very thoughtful gift.” She smiled at him, stopping them both walking at the same time, “I don’t think I ever got to thank you for it properly” Her voice dropped and became husky._

_“What did you have in...” He stopped as Kathryn leaned up and kissed him passionately, her lips warm against his, once the shock of Kathryn making the first move wore off Chakotay returned her kisses fully, their mouths fighting for dominance over the other. Kathryn let him take the lead, she sighed and leaned in to him as they found their perfect angles, their kiss became more passionate and desperate, their hands exploring each other’s bodies._

_Chakotay was the first to break the kiss, he pulled away slightly, breathless, his hands wound in Kathryn’s hair, “We should get going before neither of us can walk.” They grinned at each other, Kathryn nodded and smiled._

_“So there is somewhere you want to go here” She chuckled, Chakotay rolled his eyes._

_“You could have just been patient Kathryn... and if you want to thank me like that again later, I am more than happy to oblige” He grinned and reached out for her hand, which she took happily._

_They began to walk through the forest following a well trodden path and chatted about everything and anything but work. Chakotay asked about the forests and places she visited as a child, and if there was a favourite place she went with Molly, her Irish setter back home, Kathryn told him stories of the camping trips her parents took her and her sister on, and asked about other trips his father had taken Chakotay on before he had left to join Starfleet._

_“I used to walk in the woodlands around my parents house in Indiana with Molly and Mark. They are some of my favourite memories.” Kathryn glanced at Chakotay when she felt him stiffen at the mention of Mark’s name. “Chakotay... are you OK?” She asked cautiously, knowing the answer._

_“Nothing, it’s just sometimes I forget you had Mark back home.”_

_“I know, some days I forget I had a life at all before Voyager was stranded out here, it feels like it was all a dream, and then when we managed to establish contact with Starfleet using the Hirogen array it all came crashing back.” She paused, “and I was able to let go, getting that Dear John letter from Mark was like the confirmation I had been waiting for”_

_“I seem to recall you saying you didn’t have ‘that safety net’ anymore, Kathryn, I always wanted to ask you what you meant by that, a safety net from what?” Chakotay asked, hope in his voice_

_“I think I used my engagement to Mark, even though he was 70,000 light years away and I had very little chance of seeing him again, as a barrier against having a relationship with anyone else, at least a physical one. When I got that letter though and I was effectively released from any ties to him, I realised that although I hadn’t been unfaithful physically I had been emotionally unfaithful. There was already someone else in his place in my life and in my heart.” Kathryn admitted._

_“So you used him to protect yourself then, or was he just an excuse to stop anything from developing between you and anyone else on-board? You can’t tell me that you have only been living by protocols and parameters?”_

_Kathryn stopped, pulling Chakotay to a stop as well, “I can honestly say that even if Mark hadn’t gotten married and given up on me being alive, I would have called it off with him anyway. I realised being out here that although I missed him, I didn’t miss him like a lover, it was more like I missed a friend, a close friend, but a friend none the less. “_

_“When did you realise that Kathryn?” Chakotay was curious_

_“I think it was the moment I first saw you on the Bridge in your Marquis leathers” She blushed “I was almost immediately attracted to you, even if I wasn’t willing to admit it... even to myself at the time.” Kathryn looked at Chakotay, feeling the blush travel further up her face and down her neck._

_Chakotay gave her a smile that made her knees go weak, something he hadn’t done in so long Kathryn had almost forgotten it. “All that time and you never said anything to me, not even a real hint”_

_“I tried to give you hints, subtle ones I grant you. Do you remember when you asked me if I was going to start pairing off at the beginning of this journey? It was the day you caught that couple kissing in the turbo lift, you asked me if that was something I was going to do, pair off with someone. The hope in your eyes that I was going to say yes, but when I told you that Starfleet had protocols for Captain’s and their involvement with their crew members...romantically, so I couldn’t, seeing the sparkle die nearly killed me Chakotay.”_

_“I was hoping that you were going to say something more hopeful than a pretty much flat out no that’s never going to happen for me” Chakotay admitted, he then smiled again “But it looks like it wasn’t as much of a no as I thought it was” He leaned in and gently kissed her, feeling her hum against his lips._

_“Obviously not” She smiled as they pulled away._

_“Come on, we are nearly there” Chakotay took her hand again and urged her to follow him again. Kathryn went happily, easily falling in to step with him. After a few minutes they broke through the thickness of the forest and found themselves at the edge of a stream, next to it was a large blanket laid out, on it was a wicker picnic basket, 2 wine glasses and 2 plates. Chakotay let go of Kathryn’s hand, immediately missing the warmth of her skin, and moved over the basket, opening it and laying out the contents. “Sit down Kathryn... there’s coffee” He said shaking the thermos he had taken out of the basket._

_“You know me, I’ll do almost anything for coffee” She grinned, settling on the blanket. “What else have you got hiding in there, Chakotay” Kathryn asked, taking the lid off the thermos and pouring herself a cup before pouring one for Chakotay with cream and sugar._

_“Well, I thought we would indulge a little and have mushroom risotto for dinner, with your favourite treat...coffee ice cream as a desert.” The smile Kathryn gave him made him melt as fast as the ice cream would out of its stasis pod, he beamed back._

_Chakotay served out their risotto, handing Kathryn her plate and pouring them both a glass of wine. “You know Kathryn, I have been thinking about Tom’s offer to write Arachnia back in to Captain Proton” Chakotay said with a smirk on his face._

_“Really... and why would that be Commander” She was happy to play along with his teasing._

_“Well, there was just something about her Majesty...” He glanced at her and sipped his wine “She just had...a...presence. I can’t think of why”_

_“Perhaps it was her ‘perfume’” Kathryn said playing, referring to the bottle of pheromones that the Chaotica character had kept by his throne, according to Mr. Paris this was a gift from Arachnia Queen of the Spider people in a previous episode._

_“I don’t think I got to smell her ‘perfume’ Kathryn... but I did see the dress she wore. Maybe that had something to do with it?” He chuckled at her, as he remembered the plunging neckline and spider web style high collar._

_“You saw me in that!”Kathryn thought she had been careful in not letting any of the crew, apart from Tom and Harry who had been in the program with her, see her in that outfit, it was certainly not her usual style, and she had never shown that much cleavage before on-board Voyager, even her nightgowns covered more._

_“Oh yes” He chuckled again, “Tom showed me some of the video from the holodeck... and I was monitoring what was going on while you were in there.” He had to move quickly to avoid the playful punch that Kathryn attempted to land on his arm.”Well I had to make sure that the aliens that were waging war on Chaotica were leaving or not, and it was only me and Tuvok watching... from a ships safety point of view” He smiled_

_“And I suppose that knowing what Mr. Paris had me wearing had nothing to do with it” She nudged him, knowing full well why Chakotay wanted to watch._

_“Maybe it did... and I did have to sit at the table for a little longer than Tuvok, otherwise it would have been... awkward” He blushed._

_Kathryn smiled and leaned in to him, their faces so close that they were breathing the same air, “You know... I still have that dress... it’s in the back of my wardrobe” She kissed him lightly, “Well you never know if the invaders from the 8 th dimension will come back” They smiled, and Chakotay captured her lips again, deepening the kiss._

_Kathryn wound her arms around his neck pulling him down on top of her as she lay on the blanket, his tongue started to probe her mouth, battling for dominance against hers, she moaned against his lips, enjoying the feeling of his weight on top of her. Chakotay moved his hands over the exposed skin on her neck quickly followed by his lips leaving feather kisses in their wake. His hands found their way to the buttons on her shirt, and began undoing them still following his fingers with his mouth. Kathryn arched her back into the kisses, feeling her skin heat at his touch, her passion starting to awaken, something she hadn’t felt for a long time._

_Chakotay stopped his slow progression down her stomach when he reached the waistband of her trousers and looked up at her, relishing the pink blush making its way over her chest and up her neck as her arousal grew. He crawled back up her body and recaptured her mouth with his which she hungrily took again, running her hands down his back and leaving them to rest on his bottom. It was just as firm as she had imagined when she had watched him leaning over the helm with Tom on the Bridge. He groaned in to her mouth as he deepened the kiss again, their passion for each other growing quickly. Kathryn found the hem on Chakotay’s shirt and slipped her hands underneath touching his bare skin. He hummed against her lips, and lifted his head away from her._

_“Do you really want to do this... here... now?” He asked, breathless_

_“Well... a bed would be more comfortable” She smiled “I didn’t know you had programmed stones in to the simulation”, she wriggled underneath him, “There are some particularly sharp ones in my back at the moment” They laughed, feeling the vibration against the others chest._

_“I went for authenticity, Kathryn, and I wasn’t exactly expecting this to happen... well not here at least.” He leaned down and kissed her again “Next time I take you on a date, I will make sure there are no stones” He smiled_

_“So this was a date then Commander... our first official date” She kissed him again “Then I think we should stop for now then... I wouldn’t want my date to get the wrong impression of me after all” Kathryn grinned, lighting up her whole face and melting Chakotay’s heart._

_He rolled off her, she instantly missed the weight and warmth of his body against hers as she felt a cool breeze across her exposed stomach, it was only then that she remembered Chakotay had undone her shirt completely; she started to do it up again before rolling on her side to look at him, resting her hand on his chest over his heart, feeling the steady beat under her palm._

_“How long have you been planning this date Chakotay?”_

_“How long have we known each other now Kathryn...” He sighed, “Because that’s how long I have wanted to do this, dreamt of this, of kissing you, touching your skin, being able to hold you...everything” He covered her hand on his chest, running his thumb over her knuckles. “What made you change your mind, not that I am not thankful that you did”_

_“I don’t know, maybe it was seeing you with someone else, made me realise how much I felt for you and needed you to know, even if you had told me that I had missed my chance and you no longer felt that way about me, I would have understood. It would have hurt like hell but I would have understood.” She admitted “I spent so long trying to deny how I felt about you, hide behind every excuse in the book and using them to push you away in to a friendship... I was tired of pushing you away, and our friendship was strained too, I missed you.”_

_Chakotay sighed again, his thumb stopped moving over her knuckles, “You got jealous, didn’t you” He smiled at her._

_She smiled, shyly “Yes I did, I was selfish and just expected you to wait for us to either get home or for me to wake up and realise that we may never get home and start to ignore the protocols I had been hiding my heart behind. Seeing you with someone else woke me up Chakotay, woke me up to the possibility of losing you”_

_He kissed her “Never a possibility Kathryn. I am curious though, I have been with other women on this journey, and you with other men, why was it when I started something with Seven that you woke up to it?”_

_“If I am honest with you... Those were passing fancies for both of us, alien species we were just passing... or holograms, in my case. Nothing that was serious or that would last any longer than we were in orbit, so it didn’t make me worried to lose you.” She decided being truthful was the best way to go._

_“You really thought you could lose me to Seven? Kathryn, you could never lose me, I vowed to say by your side, you give me peace... remember?” He reached out and stroked her cheek, she moved in to his touch._

_“I really did Chakotay... I mean look at her, she is stunning, maybe she has a difficult personality at times but she is a good person. So yes I was scared of losing you to her... and I am glad that I told you how I truly felt, because being with you and not hiding it is worth the risk of losing you by telling you when I did.” She kissed him again. “Come on, we should get going, I think the holodeck time is about to expire”_

**_5 minutes remaining of current holodeck time_ ** _the computer chimed_

_Standing up Chakotay laughed “You have to tell me how you do that one day, it’s like you have a digital clock constantly going in your brain”_

_“I think it is just being used to running on a constant timetable, you learn to unconsciously track time in your head. I was never late for a lesson at the Academy... even after pulling all nighters studying for a test...”_

_“Or a night out with a certain 1 st Officer on the Enterprise?” Chakotay teased, referring to her one date with Will Riker during their time at the Academy together._

_“What makes you think that was an all night thing?” She stood with her hands on her hips, her trademark stance, but the half smile playing across her face took the edge of any annoyance she might of been trying to show._

_“I was just taking a guess that Cadet Janeway wasn’t only known for her nights of studying” He smiled, giving her the full dimples treatment._

_She walked towards her, overly swaying her hips until she reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck “Well maybe not just for studying”. Kathryn smiled and kissed him, slowly running her tongue over his lips, tasting his skin. She pulled away and ran her hand down his cheek, mimicking the movement he had done earlier. “Come on Commander, before we are discovered on this date... explaining this to an unsuspecting crew member could be awkward”_

_“Aye, aye Captain” He smirked and collected the picnic items, feeling her hand drop from his cheek, when he straightened Kathryn held out her hand to him, he clasped it with his free hand and they walked hand in hand back the way they came, after a few minutes the computer gave a bleep and the world around them dissolved in to nothingness, revealing the silver grey walls of the holo-grid and the command team standing together in the middle of the room._

_“Thank you for a wonderful first proper date Chakotay” She kissed him on the cheek._

_Together they made their way out of the holodeck and headed towards Deck 3, they crew were used to seeing the command team together off duty walking around the ship, so no one really noticed. As they reached Kathryn’s quarters they stopped at her door. Chakotay reached for her hand and ran his finger tips over her palm, sending shivers of pleasure down her spine._

_“Until tomorrow then Kathryn” He whispered, she simply nodded and smiled. Taking her hand from his she turned and walked in to her quarters. Once the doors closed she leaned against the bulkhead, and sighed happily, smiling to herself._

_As she pushed off the bulkhead and headed towards her bedroom to change in to her nightgown the ship shook with the explosion of weapons fire._


	14. Battles

**_ Kathryn _ **

                She stumbled, hitting her shin on the edge of her bed, cursing under her breath she made her way to her wardrobe as quickly as she was able. Grabbing her uniform she changed from her shirt and trousers from her date with Chakotay, moving her comm. Badge over to her jacket. She turned and headed for the door, walking quickly out she was met by Chakotay in the corridor.

                “What the hell was that?” Kathryn asked

                “Felt like we were fired on and the shields weren’t up” Chakotay replied, slapping the panel for the turbo lift.

                They waited in silence, both of them thinking what the damage could have been to Voyager, and slipping back in to their command structure after their date only a few minutes before. The lift arrived and they both stepped in. “Bridge” Janeway ordered. She turned to Chakotay, hands on her hips, Captains mask fully slipped in to place “I am thinking the Yaksori came back to finish us off. We should get Seven to the Bridge if she isn’t already there, we could do with her help in figuring the Yaksori out”

                “Agreed Captain” Commander Chakotay replied

                The turbo lift arrived at the Bridge, Captain Janeway stepped out first closely followed by Chakotay.

                “Report” She barked as they made their way to their command chairs.

                “The Yaksori vessel hit us out of nowhere Captain, we had no time to raise the shields before they opened fire on us.” Harry Kim replied

                “There is damage to Deck 10, micro-fractures have formed in section 12, there is no other damage from the phaser hit from the Yaksori vessel” Tuvok responded, adding to Kim’s report.

                Kathryn turned and faced the view screen, hands on her hips and she walked forward over the command platform. Chakotay could tell just by looking at her that she was formulating a plan, her back was straight and her shoulders were squared. He had seen that stance on many occasions and each time he had felt sorry for the person threatening them.

                “Mr. Kim, open a channel” Captain Janeway growled

                The screen flickered to an image on the Yaksori Vessels Bridge; Yanish stood looking at her, baring his teeth in a twisted grin.

                “Ah Captain Janeway, I told you that we would see each other again.”

                “Yes you did. Why have you fired on us...again, without provocation” Janeway asked.

                “You have stayed longer in our territory than originally agreed, and therefore the agreement of allowing you safe passage has expired, Captain...this is not personal, I ensure you, it is a simple matter of business” the Yaksori snarled at her, the look made her skin crawl.

                “Why not simply hail us and we could renegotiate... if this was simply a matter of business as you say” He voice was hard, Chakotay knew she was trying to keep her temper in check. She really didn’t like this man.

                “That is not our custom”

                “And it is not my _custom_ to simply accept threats or sit back and let someone attempt to destroy my ship. End transmission” She ordered, turning and stalking back to her Captain’s chair. “Tuvok, charge weapons and have photon torpedoes ready to go, I don’t want to use them but I like having options” She ordered.

                “What are you thinking Captain?” Chakotay asked, rubbing his ear trying to think of options too.

                “I believe they are up to something. I also think we need to get Seven of Nine with her Borg knowledge up here” She replied.

                “Chakotay to Seven of Nine, Could you come up to the Bridge as soon as possible, we are in need of your intelligence with the Yaksori again.”

                “On my way Commander” came the blunt reply, nothing unusual for Seven but she had been cooler with Chakotay than normal, not surprising since he had ended their relationship Kathryn thought, like she could use more tension on her Bridge when they were facing a new alien species intent on destroying them, but they needed her with them.

                Captain Janeway looked around her Bridge quickly, for the first time noticing that Tom Paris was at his station, he must have been there a while as he was waiting for her orders. “Tom, you have been released from Sickbay? Has B’Elanna had the baby already?”

                Tom turned his chair to face his commanding officers, “No not yet, but the Doc said that I should get out of there and try to keep this ship flying, to make his job easier.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes like it normally did, “That and B’E has been a _difficult_ patient as the Doc would say”

                “Don’t worry Tom, we will try and get you down there as soon as we can, maybe we will be able to save the Doctor from an angry B’Elanna.” She smiled

                “Captain, the Yaksori Vessel is charging Weapons again” Tuvok broke the mood and bought Kathryn back to the situation at hand.

                “Shields” She ordered “And aim for their weapons, I want them taken out as soon as possible”

                The ship rumbled slightly with the impact of the phasers from the Yaksori vessel hitting their shields. “Shields down to 85% Captain” Tuvok calmly informed her, “Returning fire.... direct hit, their Weapons are still operational”

                “Tom, I think it is time for some of your fancy flying, do what you have to, but those weapons are out main target”

                “Aye Captain” Tom replied his fingers already flying over the console in front of him, Voyager banked to the left and swiftly avoided the return fire aimed at their hull, Tuvok fired back, this time they hit the Yaksori engines, either way they would disable their weapons or their engine and run away from this battle.

                “Captain, our shields are down to 80%, that last shot only grazed our shields” Harry informed her, she simply nodded, concentrating on the activity on the view screen, her fingers digging in to the arm rests of her chair, she hoped no one would notice the white tips and knuckles, of course Chakotay did, he noticed everything.

                The turbo lift arrived and Seven swiftly stepped out, standing at her console behind the command chairs “Captain, I believe we should be targeting their engines, their weapons are too heavily shielded from our phaser fire” She quickly informed Janeway.

                “Tuvok, you heard Seven, let’s take out their engines and get out of here” She ordered “Tom do you think you can keep us near their engines to give Tuvok a clear shot”

                Tom didn’t respond, instead he entered the commands in to his console and Voyager changed direction and avoided more weapons fire on the way to the back of the opposing vessel, keeping hidden under the belly of the ship. Tuvok fired their phasers again, this time there was an explosion from the engines on the Yaksori vessel, Voyager wasn’t quite fast enough to get away from the shockwaves and they shook from the blast. The console behind the Captain and Commander sparked and exploded, sending the 2 crewmen working at them flying back against the railing. Tom didn’t wait for the order he kicked the engines in and got away from the aftershocks as the engine room on the other vessel continued to explode.

                “Tuvok, I guess it is safe to say that their engines have been disabled” Captain Janeway smiled; her eyes took on a triumphant smile.

                “You are correct Captain” Tuvok replied

                “Harry, open a channel” Janeway ordered, the view screen flicked to the inside of the Yaksori vessel and Yanish with his damaged Bridge behind him. “Next time you want to _renegotiate terms_ Yanish, I suggest you open a channel, not fire. End transmission” The view screen flicked back to the image of the damaged Yaksori vessel. “Tom, get us out of here and then get yourself back down to Sickbay. Commander I want a damage report compiled as soon as possible”

**_ Chakotay _ **

                Chakotay sat in his chair, leaning over and compiling the reports coming in from all departments across the ship with the damage received and estimated time to repair. Thankfully it didn’t seem to be anything more than minor damage and wouldn’t take longer than a day to fix so far. The worst being some parts of their Shield grid needed to be repaired after it blew out from that last graze with the engines exploding. He breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his ear, he flicked his eyes up to look at Kathryn sitting next to him, she had visibly relaxed now that the battle for over, and her fingers were no longer gripping the arm rests.

                “Kathryn” He spoke softly so that no one else on the Bridge could easily hear them, she turned her head to look at him, “I think you are in need of a coffee, perhaps we can discuss these reports in your Ready Room, I should have everything together in the next few minutes. I will meet you in there in say 10 minutes?” Kathryn smiled at him, and nodded.

                “Commander, you have the Bridge” She said as she got up from her chair and headed to her Ready Room. Chakotay smiled and returned his attention back to the screen.

                “Tom, I think we have it, and I believe you have a pressing issue to attend to in Sickbay... I don’t want to be the one keeping you from B’Elanna” Chakotay knew that his oldest friend would need her Husband by her side, even if it was just to keep her from decompiling the Doctors programme between contractions.

                “Thanks Commander. The Doc said it shouldn’t be much longer now” Tom said as he hurried towards the turbo lift. Chakotay smiled to himself again and downloaded the reports to his PADD, he stood up and headed towards Kathryn’s Ready Room, nodding to Tuvok as he went past, silently indicating that he had the Bridge. He palmed the chime and walked in without waiting for the answer, Kathryn was expecting him after all.

                “I have the damage reports for you Captain...” He looked up from the PADD and saw that Kathryn wasn’t at her desk like he had expected. He looked to the left and saw her sat on the sofa under the viewport on the top level of her Ready Room, a coffee cooling on the table next to her, she was turned away from the door staring out the viewport at the unfamiliar stars passing them, looking lost, all the confidence and strength now gone.

                “Kathryn... Are you alright?” Chakotay asked his voice barely above a whisper. He walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her start.

                “Sorry Chakotay, I was million light years away” She smiled weakly at him “I was just trying to get my head round what happened just now, out there on the Bridge” She flicked a hand in the general direction of the doors. Chakotay sat down next to her, facing her.

                “We were attacked, and you kicked them in to touch... like you always do Kathryn” He tried to reassure her, his hand now resting over hers in her lap.

                “Did I?” She looked at him, her eyes swimming in unshed tears; her command mask had completely fallen away. Somehow she looked smaller, not physically but her presence. Chakotay could only remember seeing her like this once before, in the Void, she had wanted to stay behind then, and he was concerned that she would want to do something as crazy again.

                “Yes, you did. You always do when it comes to bullies” He smiled, his thumb lazily running back and forth across her knuckles, trying to comfort her, something she hadn’t allowed him to do before.

                “Thanks for saying so Chakotay” she smiled at him again, but it didn’t reach her eyes, she was coming round though, he could read her and noticed the slight change in her body language. She shifted, and curled her feet up under her and turned more to look at him properly. Icy blue eyes met his dark chocolate brown ones. He lifted his hand and ran his thumb over her cheek, feeling her relax at his touch. He smiled and leaned forward, capturing her lips with his in a chaste kiss.

                “I have wanted to do that ever since we left the holodeck” Chakotay whispered against her lips, feeling her smile against him in reply.

                “So have I” She confessed.

                He rested his forehead against hers, not wanting to lose contact with her, “You know when you stand there with your hands on your hips, it’s all I can do to not come over and grab you to me. I have always found it sexy as hell”

                “I know... that’s why I usually stand in your eye line when I do it” She giggled, this time it did reach her eyes, her melancholy mood temporarily lifted. Kathryn leaned back from him and reached over to collect her coffee, sitting back against the sofa again she watched him for a moment, “I always know when you are watching me Chakotay. It usually gives me the strength to carry on doing what I need to in order to survive, like it is your silent support... if you don’t say anything that is. Although it doesn’t mean that I don’t do things because I know how they affect you” She gave him a lopsided grin and took a long sip of her coffee.

                “Am I really that transparent Kathryn?” He asked, feeling a blush creep up his neck

                “Only to me I am sure... but I think I have caught a few looks being exchanged between Tom and Harry on occasion when I have done something _just_ to wind you up... like leaning slightly further over the console with Tom”

                “I knew it!” He laughed “And I always appreciated the extra look at your bottom, it could also be said that I do the same to you... but I am not always sure you are watching me”

                “I am always watching you Chakotay... and you have no idea how difficult it is to concentrate when you are leaning over and showing off your bottom too.” She blushed, watching as a smile crept across his face at her confession.

                “Good to know” He laughed again, “I am glad I can help with distracting you sometimes, even when you are in Captain mode”

                “Always Commander...now that you have cheered me up and have given me a quick top up on my need for you in more ways than just being my excellent First Officer, what do you say we get the work out of the way and then return to our quarters for a drink?” She suggested.

                “Aye Aye Captain” He cleared his throat “The damage isn’t too extensive, most of it was sustained in the shield grid when we grazed the explosions when their engines blew, engineering have estimated that it will take approximately 2 days to complete. There was minor injuries but nothing the Doctor couldn’t handle while dealing with B’Elanna, who Tom says shouldn’t have much longer to go now, so I have sent him back to be with her as there was nothing really for him to do on the Bridge now to occupy his mind”

                All the time he had been speaking Kathryn had switched places with his hand in her lap and she was now running her thumb over his knuckles and with one hand while sipping her coffee with the other, listening to him carefully. She smiled when he had said that soon the newest member of the crew would be joining them soon. “Thank you Commander, is that the end of your report?”

                He looked at her “Oh yes Captain, now I believe that I have a date with Kathryn to attend to... that is if the Captain can spare her” He smiled, telling her in his own way that it was time to leave work where it belonged... outside her quarters and she needed to relax properly.

                They stood up together from her sofa, as she turned to the replicator to recycle her coffee mug, Chakotay headed to the Bridge and informed Tuvok that both he and the Captain would be going off duty now, considering that they both were before the Yaksori attacked the Vulcan merely nodded and headed to the command chairs. Chakotay hovered outside the Ready Room, expecting Kathryn to exit at any second. After a few minutes he re-entered the Ready Room to find it empty. Curious he tapped his Comm. badge.

                “Chakotay to Captain Janeway” There was no response “Chakotay to Kathryn” Again no reply

                “Computer, locate Captain Janeway”

                **Captain Janeway is not on-board**

                Chakotay’s blood ran cold.


	15. Betrayal

**_ Seven of Nine _ **

                Seven stalked off the Bridge as soon as the battle was over, heading for the Cargo bay, not that she had been there long and no one had acknowledged her presence, they were too busy with the fighting.

                _What was the point in even calling me to the Bridge in the first place_ Seven thought, she was getting angry. The Doctor had warned her that her emotions would be unstable for a few days after the fail safe had been removed, and she was having trouble controlling them. The EMH had compared it to Human adolesance with her emotions swinging wildly, however with the logic and body of an adult she may find them stronger and more difficult to control, he had advised her to take several days off to regenerate and allow her system to become accustomed to the new emotions... but Seven had decided that she was fully capable of performing her duties and had ignored the Doctors advise.

                _These attacks would stop if the Captain would just give in and go over to the Yaksori vessel._ Seven was convinced that these attacks were nothing to do with Voyager itself and more to do with its Captain. _What was it with men and Captain Janeway_ seethed Seven, _first it was her Chakotay, then that inspector and now it was this security official! If only she wasn’t on-board then Voyager and her crew could have a quiet life and get back to Earth faster._ Seven of Nine thought the problem through with her strict Borg analytical skills.

                If Janeway wasn’t on-board Voyager then the Yaksori would have no reason to chase them, if the Yaksori had the Captain then there would be no reason for the attacks. She smiled to herself and entered Cargo bay 2. It was effectively her private space, the crew, for the most part respected her privacy and she only shared the area with Icheb, who was in Astrometrics currently with Naomi Wildman, they had been in the middle of a lesson when Seven had been called to the Bridge for the battle.

                She walked over to her alcove, complete with the Borg control panel. A plan formulating in her mind, she would stop these attacks and the crew, including Chakotay, would thank her for it. Perhaps even having Janeway gone would leave the door open for her and Chakotay to resume their romantic relationship. She grinned again, an evil glint in her eye. She would have to work quickly and disguise the Captain’s comm. Badge and bio signatures from the sensors on-board Voyager, a few taps in to her alcove with a Borg code made that possible, she then decided to transport the Captain to the Cargo bay, but she would need to subdue her, otherwise the plan would never work.

                Seven moved across to the Starfleet console and replicated a hypo spray with the sleeping medication the EMH had given her access to while she was becoming accustomed to sleeping rather than just regenerating since her procedure this morning. With that in hand she transported the Captain from her Ready room to the Cargo bay. Janeway materialised in front of her facing her, a look of bewilderment across her face.

                “Seven...” She asked as the ex-drone moved efficiently across to her and pressed the hypo spray to her neck, injecting the Captain with the sedative. Janeway crumpled in Seven’s arms. With her Borg strength carrying the Captain’s limp body across to a larger cargo container was easy, Seven thought that putting her there until she had access to a shuttle or the Yaksori could transport the Captain off the ship was preferable than having her in a shuttle straight away. Soon the alarm would be raised that the Captain was missing and the whole crew would leave no stone unturned to find their leader, however they wouldn’t think to check the containers of Neelix’s leeola root, the crew avoided that root at all costs.

                As Seven closed the lid of the container she heard the Yellow alert alarm sound. _Funny would have thought the Captain going missing merited at least a Red alert_ She smirked and set about trying to contact the Yaksori Captain, Yanish.

**_ Chakotay _ **

_She is gone, Kathryn is gone... if only I had stayed in the damn room, she wouldn’t be_ , his thoughts were swirling around in his head as panic told hold of him.

                He was operating on auto-pilot, working with Tuvok to scan the ship for any trace of her. “Computer, when did Captain Janeway leave the ship?” He asked

                **2330 hrs** came the monotone reply, less than 5 minutes ago. Chakotay must have just left the room and she was gone! _Idiot, you should have stayed with her, at least then she wouldn’t be alone_ , the thought came unwanted in to his brain. Chakotay shook his head trying to clear his mind, but all he could see was her eyes gleaming at him as they had made arrangements to meet in her quarters again that night. Fear closed his throat. _Where is she?_

“Computer, how did Captain Janeway leave Voyager?” Tuvok asked, his Vulcan calm soothing Chakotay’s panic slightly.

                **Unknown**.

Tuvok and Chakotay looked at each other.

 

                “Do we know for certain that she has, in fact, left the ship” Tuvok queried

                “Well, the computer can’t locate her Comm. badge or her bio signature, so short of doing a deck by deck search in every place big enough to conceal the Captain then I would suggest that we can safely say she isn’t on-board, Tuvok” Chakotay snapped back at him. He sighed “Sorry Tuvok, I am just worried about her, and angry at myself, I should have stayed with her rather than coming out to see you.” Chakotay apologised to the Security chief

                “I accept your apology Commander, although it is not required. I will assemble my security teams and any available member of the crew to complete a deck by deck search for the Captain.” Chakotay smiled at the Vulcan, although they had not been friends at the beginning of this journey, after all Tuvok was sent by Starfleet, and Kathryn, to spy on him and his Marquis crew before the Caretaker had taken them, which had ultimately lead to Voyager being sent to find them and being pulled to the Delta Quadrant themselves, over the years Chakotay had seen how much Kathryn relied on Tuvok and often used him as a sounding board, he had also seen that the Vulcan cared for her like she was his Daughter and would do anything he could to protect her. If ever Chakotay needed someone who was a dedicated to finding Kathryn, it was Tuvok.

                “Commander” Harry Kim came over, he was a determined as the rest of them to find the Captain, she was a mother figure to him out here.

                “What is it Harry, you look like you have something important to contribute” Chakotay said turning to the young Ensign.

                “Well it occurs to me that she has only been gone 5 minutes and we are out of transporter range for the Yaksori vessel, so she must be on-board somewhere... and whoever has done this will have to of hidden her somewhere that we may not immediately think to look. I think we should be thinking outside the box for places she could be, like the shuttles would be too obvious, so what about the less obvious places... and who has a problem with the Captain and would want to do something like this, or have the necessary skills to cover it up.” Harry was speaking quickly, almost like the ideas were forming in his head as he was saying them. This was something that Chakotay liked about him, he didn’t hide what he was thinking and over the years Kathryn had given him the confidence to say whatever he thought as he thought it.

                “I was thinking along the same lines Harry. Where were you thinking these less obvious places could be?” Chakotay asked

                “And who on-board has the skills to hide the Captains bio and Comm. signatures?” Asked Tuvok.

                “There aren’t many who have those skills. The Doc and B’Elanna but they are busy in sickbay, you Tuvok, but I don’t see you doing something like this, especially to the Captain” Tuvok simply nodded at the Ensigns statement “Then there is you Commander, again don’t see it, there are a couple of people in Engineering and Seven of Nine, but I don’t see any of them either.” Harry looked at Chakotay “Commander are you OK?”

                Chakotay had gone pale at the mention of Seven of Nine of the list of people who could have hidden Kathryn on-board. _Could she really go that far?_ “Yes Harry, I’m fine, just concerned about the Captain, and if you are right, then we have a traitor on-board. Tuvok I want them and the Captain found... NOW” He turned and walked to the Turbo lift. He knew where he had to go, but didn’t want to involve the rest of the crew in his personal business.

                “Cargo bay 2” He ordered the lift, and it hummed in to life and moved smoothly to Deck 4. Chakotay exited the lift and walked the short distance to the Cargo bay. He knew that was where Seven would be, she was usually there when she wasn’t on duty, like now. He stood just short of the sensors for the thick doors to open, and took a deep calming breath, this was not going to be an easy conversation.

**

_The doors to the Cargo bay slid open, Chakotay stepped in, and waited for the doors to close behind him. He stood there and watched the icy blonde ex-drone, ex-girlfriend (really it had only been a few dates) for a moment as she stood apparently working at her console._

_“Seven” He called but didn’t make a move to go to her_

_She stilled, and turned at the sound of his voice, “Commander, what are you doing here?” Her voice calm and steady. If she was guilty of this she wasn’t letting on, thought Chakotay._

_“Seven, the Captain is missing” He blurted out, “She was in her Ready Room with me and I stepped out for a moment, she was going to meet me to have dinner after the attack from the Yaksori, and I was waiting for her to finish up before she joined me, but when she didn’t come out of her Ready Room I went in. It was empty and the computer says she is no longer on-board but can’t determine how she left.”_

_Seven simply raised her Borg eyebrow at this, an expression she had picked up from Tuvok. She let her hands fall to her sides “And you believe I have something to do with her disappearance?”_

_Chakotay took a step forward, “You would have a motive Seven. Things between you and the Captain haven’t exactly been easy lately... not since you and I ended our relationship as I wanted to pursue something with Kathryn”_

_Seven felt a bolt of anger and jealousy shoot through her at the mention on the Captains first name, her face flushed with it. “You believe I would kidnap the Captain simply because I am upset and angry with you both?” She almost laughed at the idea._

_“No Seven that is not what I am saying. I am saying that you have the skills to do this and that there are probably other motives at play here but our personal relationships have possibly played a part in this. Am I right in saying that?” Chakotay took another step towards her, slowly closing the gap like he would if he was stalking a wild animal._

_“Perhaps. You can not deny that the ship is under attack because of her presence on-board. The Yaksori captain is infatuated with her, much like you are” She spat_

_“No Seven, there is a difference, I am not infatuated with her, I have been in love with her for a long time, and I thought that we would never be together, that she didn’t feel the same way about me anymore so I moved on, starting something with you was a mistake and I am only glad that we ended things when we did.” He was angry with her, and was sure she had something to do with Kathryn’s disappearance, he wanted to make her angry, to make her confess._

_“I don’t understand why when of the both of us I am clearly the better choice. What is it about Kathryn Janeway that makes men act this way? What makes her so special?” Seven spat out again, Chakotay’s words had hurt her and the anger that was bubbling inside her had hit its boil._

_“It is something you will never understand Seven. Now where is she?” His voice was firm and hardened. He wanted to find Kathryn before anything happened to her._

_“I will not comply, I will not tell you.” Seven folded her arms under the breasts, pushing them even higher than they already were on her chest._

_“You must comply Seven, the entire ship is looking for her”_

_“I will not” She was firm and not prepared to change her mind._

_“What will it take for you to tell me where she is?” Chakotay was desperate now._

_“You” came the straight reply “You give us another chance, without the Captain getting in the way”_

_Chakotay sighed, “That isn’t going to work Seven. There can be no us, not when my heart belongs to someone else. Don’t you see how unfair that would be to you. To be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t love you isn’t a fair fulfilling relationship, and one built on blackmail isn’t going to work either Seven... so where is she?”_

_“I will not tell you.” Seven knew she had a couple of hours before the sedative wore off and the Captain would be able to leave the container, she had hoped to use that time to contact the Yaksori but they were out of communications range for now so she had to stall for time. She had to get Kathryn Janeway off the ship for her to have any chance at saving Voyager and getting Chakotay back._

_“Why Seven?” Chakotay’s voice took on a pleading tone_

_“Because Voyager and her crew will be safer when she is no longer aboard, Yanish obviously wants her either with him or dead, I do not believe he cares which outcome he has currently, particularly after the damage that was just inflicted upon his vessel by the Captain.”_

_So Kathryn was still on-board, Chakotay felt hope swell in his chest at the thought she was probably OK currently and there was still time to recover her before any real harm came to her. “Where is she Seven” Chakotay ground out through clenched teeth “The Yaksori are not in communications range, and now I know your plan I will ensure that we remain that way for as long as possible.”_

_Seven simply stood there, her arms remaining crossed._

_“Was that your plan? Hand her over to that animal and let him do god knows what with her and to her? Do you hate her that much?”_

_“Hate is not an emotion I have felt yet” She lied “However I do plan on handing her over to the Yaksori for the good of the crew, for the good of the ship. I believe you are too blinded by your feelings and personal relationship with her to see that this is for the best”_

_Chakotay fumed, he reached up and tapped his Comm Badge. “Chakotay to Tuvok, please can you and a security team come to Cargo Bay 2, Seven of Nine is to be confined to the Brig until further notice and Cargo Bay 2 needs to be ripped apart to locate the Captain. Seven is the one who has kidnapped her.”_

_“Understood Commander, I am on my way” Tuvok’s voice came through, calm and solid but there was an edge to it, if Chakotay didn’t know any better he would have said that the Vulcan was furious with Seven, someone who he had helped to find her humanity and they had become friends._

_“You are making a mistake Chakotay. She will never love you like I do, and she will continue to put this ship at risk with her reckless actions” Seven seethed and tapped her Comm badge “Compter activate protocol Seven Omega 5” Seven shimmered out of the Cargo bay in a transporter beam._

_“Chakotay to Kim, Harry Seven just beamed out of the Cargo Bay, track her and let me know if any of the shuttles leave.” He ordered_

_“Aye Comm.... Commander, the Delta Flyer isn’t in the Shuttle bay, she just materialised off our port bow, and Seven is on-board”_

_“Tractor them Harry”_

_“I am trying. I’m sorry Commander she has disabled the tractor with some kind of Borg virus, I can’t get them” Harry’s scared voice came over the Comm. “Seven has gone to warp.”_

_“After her” Chakotay ordered_

_“We can’t, whatever virus Seven left in the tractor beam, she also left in the Navigation system, she can’t track her Commander. She’s gone”_


	16. Searching

**_ Seven of Nine _ **

                Seven breathed out, she had been holding her anger back as much as possible when Chakotay had confronted her about the Captain’s disappearance on Voyager, but some of the things he had said had made her blood boil. How could he choose the Captain over her? She was younger and could, in Seven’s opinion, make him happier by actually having a relationship with him in the open rather than hiding it. If the Captain had wanted Chakotay then she had 7 years in which she could have acted but she chose now, when Seven had him, to take Chakotay away. Seven was hurt, and jealous, not that she would admit it to herself.

                “I will get her out of my way and then he will see what I meant to him” She said to herself in the quiet of the Flyer. Her hands quickly moved over the controls, they were bulky compared to the sleek controls of the standard shuttle craft, something Tom Paris had insisted on as he was ‘ _fed up of pushing buttons_ ’ when flying, Seven and B’Elanna had rolled her eyes at that but had let him install the new controls. Seven laid in a course back to the Yaksori vessels last known position, as their engines had been damaged by the battle with Voyager, Seven decided that they would either be there or not far away. Once she was in communications range she would open a channel and arrange a rendezvous with them.

                She smiled to herself, visualising the look on Chakotay and Tuvok’s faces when they realised that they had no way of chasing her down, the Borg codes she had activated when she left the ship had made sure of that by knocking out the tractor beam and the warp drive... effectively leaving her free to put some distance between herself and Voyager until she was ready to return, although the virus she had activated would only last an hour it would be enough time for her ion trail to dissipate and that would make it harder to find her.

                After a few minutes Seven entered communications range with the Yaksori, opening a channel on all bandwidths she hailed them.

                “Delta Flyer to the Yaksori vessel, this is Seven of Nine. Please respond” She was met by static, “Seven of Nine to the Yaksori vessel” She repeated

                “Greetings Seven of Nine” the reply came, “This is Krem of the Yaksori Security vessel, and how may I be of assistance?”

Seven felt a prickle of worry wash across her skin, giving her goose bumps, something was wrong, her gut was telling her, and for all the faults that Seven saw in Captain Janeway she had learnt to trust her gut in the same way as the Captain.

                “Where is Captain Yanish, I have information for him as we have discussed” Seven replied, formality being her fallback position.

                “He was injured in the attack with your vessel” Krem’s voice trembled, Seven was certain that he was lying, something was wrong.

                “I hope that the injuries are not serious, I will only speak with him and my time is limited”

                “No no, he will be available soon; I believe our Doctor is treating him now. Would you like to beam across to our vessel and wait for him?” This was not an invitation that Seven could accept or not, it was more like a threat.

                “I prefer to wait about my vessel until your Captain is available, this information for him only” She said.

                “As you wish” Krem snarled, the line cutting off. Seven shifted in her seat. Something about this situation made her feel uneasy. Had she possibly misjudged it, letting her anger at the Captain colour her judgement. Was it really all the Captain’s fault that Voyager was constantly attacked by these aliens?

                Seven frowned, either way she had come too far now to not carry out her plan and her agreement with the Yaksori Captain. She turned in her chair, just as she felt the tingle of a transporter beam run across her body.

**_ Chakotay _ **

                Chakotay stormed around in the Cargo bay, his skin felt too tight for all the anger he was feeling coursing though his veins. He moved through ripping open container after container, hoping to find Kathryn hidden inside, all the while knowing that she wouldn’t be there but having to do something. He heard the Cargo bay doors open and close again; he stopped moving and waited to see who had entered.

                “Commander, are you in here?” Tuvok’s steady voice broke the silence

                “Yes Tuvok, I am back here” Chakotay sighed, the anger he had been feeling instantly vanished leaving his body limp and aching with exertion, for the first time he saw the mess that he had made of the containers in his futile search for the woman he loved.

                “Commander, we have tracked the Flyer, however the warp core is still inoperable due to the Borg commands that Seven of Nine implanted in our systems when she left. I also regret to inform you that the search for the Captain has also ended on all other decks without success.” Tuvok sounded as distressed as a Vulcan possibly could, he deeply cared for Kathryn and valued her friendship above all others on-board.

                Chakotay simply nodded, he knew that they would not find Kathryn on-board; he had figured out that Seven of Nine had transported her away with her. The question he was asking himself was how he was going to get Kathryn back at his side, where she had always belonged,

                “Do we have an estimate of when we will have the warp drive back up and running? I don’t want to give Seven any bigger head start than we have to. I believe, as you must, the Captain is with her.”

                “Engineering believes this is a self resolving issue. It appears Seven included a timer within the commands. They believe it will end within the hour Commander.” Tuvok’s calm voice didn’t betray the inner turmoil he was feeling.

                Chakotay paced back and forth, suddenly feeling the need to move around, to do... something, anything. He hated feeling useless while Kathryn was in god knows what kind of danger this time. Gods that woman had a knack for getting in to trouble, and making his heart stop each time. Even the thought of losing her made him cold; she had been his guiding light, his peace, and his friend through this whole journey. She had once told him that she couldn’t imagine a day without him, he had realised then and there that he felt the same.

                “As soon as we have engines back I want to follow that warp trail. We have to get the Captain back before Seven has a chance to complete whatever plan she has for her.” He growled, Tuvok nodded and headed to the Bridge.

                Chakotay paced for a few more moments before deciding to head to Astrometrics, he needed to speak to the only other person on-board that Seven of Nine was close to... Icheb.

                He entered the Astrometrics Lab to find Icheb working through the data Seven had left on the area. At least she hadn’t lied about looking for information about this area of space. What had made her suddenly turn from being her usual logical self to kidnapping the Captain?

                “Icheb, how is it going with the data?” He said by way of a greeting, he could have sworn that he saw the young man jump.

                “Commander, I didn’t hear you come in. I have almost completed compiling the data together that Seven of Nine analysing” Icheb stated, “I should be completed within the next 30 minutes.”

                “OK, thank you Icheb... can I ask you something else, it’s about Seven”

                “Of course” Icheb stopped what he was doing and turned his attention to Chakotay.

                “Have you noticed a change in her behaviour recently? Anything that would explain her actions today?”

                “She has been a bit more emotionally unbalanced lately” Icheb thought again briefly “I believe she was intending to speak to the Doctor about her failsafe as she has been worried about another shut down of her cordial node. She was intending on requesting that the failsafe was removed to prevent this”

                “She wanted to remove her failsafe? When was this?” Chakotay was instantly worried that this was more personal than he thought and Seven was more unstable than ever.

                “She began to mention it a few days ago. I believe it was around the time that your romantic affiliation terminated” Icheb could not look Chakotay in the eye, he had only recently become aware of his relationship with Seven through her mumblings recently, while not much of it had been clear the name Chakotay was a prominent feature.

                “Icheb, did she speak to the Doctor about it? Do you know if he removed it?”

                “I am afraid I do not Commander, perhaps you should speak with the Doctor.” Icheb turned back to the data, effectively ending the conversation. Chakotay nodded and left the lab heading to Sickbay. He entered the turbo lift and gave instructions for Sickbay before he remembered that he would probably be busy with B’Elanna. He quickly thought it over and decided that this was too important not to ask now, they had to find Kathryn, and B’Elanna would understand that.

                Chakotay exited the lift and walked the short distance to Sickbay, all the time expecting to hear his Chief Engineer screams of pain, however when he entered Sickbay there was an air of calm that descended around him as he looked towards the main bio-bed to see his friend smiling at a small bundle in her arms, her husband grinning like an idiot next to her.

The EMH came bustling out of his office and stopped when he saw Chakotay standing in the doorway.

                “Ahh Commander, I was just about to contact you, as you can see B’Elanna has had her baby, a healthy girl. My god-daughter” He said with pride.

                “Yes Doctor, I can see” Chakotay smiled, taking in the scene in front of him. He was happy for his friends and took a moment to let that emotion wash over him before returning to the issue at hand, “Doctor, while I would dearly like to be here purely to see B’Elanna, Tom and our newest crew member I need to speak to you regarding a situation on-board ship.”

                “Certainly Commander, lets speak in my office.” The EMH moved aside and followed the Commander in to his office space. “What can I help you with; I have been a little out of the loop due to my duties here.”

                “OK, well as you know we were attacked earlier by the Yaksori, and once we were successful in that attack, after I sent Tom back down here to be with B’Elanna, the Captain went to her Ready Room, from which she disappeared” He paused and allowed the Doctor to absorb the new information before he carried on “When I asked the Computer to locate her it stated that she was no longer aboard Voyager and that her method of departure was unknown. Tuvok and I dug a little deeper and it appeared that both her Bio signature and Comm. badge were erased from the Computer’s system. Something that very few people on-board have the security clearance to do or knowledge” Again he paused, watching the Doctor process the information.

“I have since learnt that the person who was responsible for this was Seven of Nine” At this piece of news the EMH went very still, had he been flesh and blood Chakotay was sure that the blood would have drained from his face at the shock. The Doctor and Seven were close friends and had built a trusting relationship, which they both heavily relied on.

                “And you believe there is a medical reason for this, Commander?” The Doctor asked, his voice shaking slightly.

                “Doctor, did Seven ask you to perform the surgery to remove her failsafe?” Chakotay asked bluntly, needing to get to the information he needed.

                “Yes”

                “Did she tell you why she had decided to have you remove it now, when she had previously turned it down?”

                “She stated that she was having problems keeping her emotions in check within the limits that the failsafe allowed, she was worried that it would cause another shut down and limit her ability to fulfil her duties on-board Voyager. She did, however, also tell me that there was a personal reason for wanting to remove the failsafe. I believe it was something to do with her relationship with you Commander.” Chakotay was sure he saw the hologram blush.

                “Yes Doctor, we had a brief relationship but it is over. Did she tell you that?”

                “Yes Commander she did, she also told me the reasons why she thought you had ended the relationship. She believed it had something to do with the Captain.” The Doctor didn’t want to betray Seven but this was an extreme situation with the Captain missing and Seven being unstable emotionally.

Chakotay sighed, he had suspected that Seven would have spoken to the Doctor about their breakup but did not expect her to bring Kathryn in to it.

                “No Doctor, the Captain had nothing to do with the end of our relationship... but I did cancel plans with Seven for meetings with the Captain. Perhaps that gave her the wrong impression” Chakotay lied a little, he didn’t want to spread news of the turn that his relationship with Kathryn had taken within the last 24 hours, as he wasn’t sure where it was going and if he was sure that Kathryn would not want news of it spread through the ship like wildfire, after all the EMH was an awful gossip.

“Doctor, when did you remove her failsafe?”

                “This morning at 0800; I told her to regenerate after for a couple of days at least to give her body time to adjust to the removal, however it appears she did not take my advise” The EMH huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, clearly irritated with the ex-Drone.

                “Apparently so, she was on duty at 1000” Chakotay said

                “Less than 30 minutes after I released her from Sickbay” The Doctor looked up suddenly “Commander if that is the case then all of her emotions that she has had controlled since she was first assimilated by the Borg will be flooding her system, making it almost impossible for her to think clearly or make any rational decisions... and with her Borg enhanced strength she could be extremely dangerous to herself and the Captain”

                “Doctor, why didn’t you inform either me or Captain Janeway that you were performing this procedure if you knew the risks Seven would pose if she did not follow your medical advice. We could have enforced them on her, or confined her to the Cargo Bay for her own safety. As it is now she has kidnapped the Captain and taken the Delta Flyer in order to do so.” Chakotay was angry, he was having trouble keeping his own temper in check, worry for Kathryn was clouding his judgment and taking away his control, his peace.

                “She requested that I didn’t, particularly yourself and the Captain. She wanted to deal with this on her own... and she is entitled to medial confidentiality like every other member of the crew.”

                “Fair enough Doctor, but when it poses a possible threat to this ship or her crew, in future I want to be informed, is that understood?” Chakotay paced with his hands on his hips, watching the hologram as his ethical protocols battled with the command protocols.

Finally seeing him nod Chakotay simply nodded back.

                “Alright, now what can you tell me about Seven’s state of mind now, knowing that she hasn’t regenerated as requested.”

                “She would be extremely unstable; her logical and reasonable thinking will be completely overcome by the emotions battling inside her. She could very easily misdirect these emotions. Commander you have to understand that every emotion she has ever had, even as a drone will be flooding her system right now. Imagine every emotion you have ever had, positive and negative, flowing through you all at once.” The Doctor explained.

                Chakotay paused for a moment. Could that mean that Seven could be misdirecting all her emotions on the Kathryn, someone who had been so involved with helping free her from the collective and find her individuality again? Or did Seven now simply see the Captain as an obstacle to be moved aside in order to complete some goal?

He sighed, taking in the information the EMH had given him, trying to process it, and build an idea on what could be done to limit any damage to both Voyager and her Captain.

                “Thank you Doctor. I will discuss this with Tuvok and we will come up with something, in the meantime I would like you to collect your data on Seven of Nines latest physical and find a way that we can help her once we get her back. I don’t want this happening again.” The Doctor nodded, “Now if you could excuse me I am going to welcome the newest crewman” Chakotay smiled, he was pleased that he could take a moment to do something happier than looking for Kathryn.

                Chakotay stepped out of the Doctors office and turned towards the bio bed currently occupied by his half Klingon friend, he paused for a moment, taking in the picture and not wanting to disturb them for too long. He would want to tell Kathryn about this when they got her back. As if sensing she was being watched B’Elanna looked up from her daughter, upon seeing Chakotay she smiled, her face glowing with happiness and pride.

                “Hello Old Man, have you come to check on the Doctor or me?” She joked “As you can see he is in one piece” They both laughed.

                Tom, only now realising that someone else was in the room with them, looked up and smiled at Chakotay. “Would you like to come and say hello Commander?” He asked

                Chakotay moved to the side of the bed next to his friends and looked down at the bundle of blankets in B’Elanna’s arms, moving aside a small amount of material he uncovered the quarter Klingon girls face, her ridges smoother than her mother’s but her Klingon side was there all the same, her shock of dark hair was also her mothers. Chakotay suspected that when she opened her eyes they would also be dark like B’Elanna’s; he only hoped that she didn’t get her temper.

                “She is beautiful, congratulations to you both. Have you thought of a name for her yet? Chakotay’s voice was barely above a whisper so not to disturb the sleeping infant.

                The couple looked briefly at each other, Tom nodded. He had obviously given his OK to something as B’Elanna smiled again. “We have decided on Miral after my mother and Kathryn after the Captain.” B’Elanna said

Chakotay felt a tear prick in each eye at the mention of the child’s name. “Kathryn will be touched and honoured I am sure”

Tom looked at his commanding officer and knew something was amiss. “I thought she would be one of the first to come and see her Chakotay, where is she? Stuck on the Bridge I suppose” He quipped, expecting Chakotay to smile but instead he saw the man’s face darken. “Chakotay, what happened?”

“The Captain is missing. She has been kidnapped by... by Seven of Nine” Chakotay’s voice cracked, angry tears threatening, he shook his head trying to gain control over his emotions again. “The Doctor removed her failsafe yesterday morning, so Seven is not really in control of her actions, but for whatever reason she has taken the Captain from Voyager and we suspect she is using her as a bargaining tool with the Yaksori.” It was the first time Chakotay had said it out loud like that, he again felt his tenuous control over his emotions start to slip.

B’Elanna felt her anger flash, she had always been sceptical about the Drone, but had gotten along with her for the benefit of Voyager, now she was out to harm not only her Commanding Officer but the only woman who had ever truly believed in her and had become her friend.

“I knew we couldn’t trust her, that petaQ!” She spat “How long has the Captain been gone?”

“Approximately 1 hour, I only discovered that it was Seven of Nine that took her about 15 minutes before I entered Sickbay, so you haven’t been out of the loop long” He added seeing Tom flinch “You have both been a little busy, and I know Kathryn wouldn’t have wanted me to disturb you while you were welcoming Miral in to the world”

“Tom, you need to go and look for her! Please, she is our friend and Captain. I can’t imagine Voyager without her, I can’t imagine raising our daughter here without her” B’Elanna pleaded with her husband. Tom simply nodded at his wife and looked at Chakotay.

“Just tell me where you need me Commander” He said, awaiting his orders.

“I would like you to help Icheb in Astrometrics, see if you can assist him in plotting a likely course Seven could have taken to the last known Yaksori co-ordinates, and then try to plot a faster route. We can’t get going for at least another 30 minutes but I want to be prepared to go as soon as we are capable” Tom nodded, kissed his wife and daughter, and headed for the door. “Tom, thank you” Chakotay said

“Bring her back, fly boy” B’Elanna called after him, she turned to Chakotay, “How are you holding up?” She laid a hand on his arm.

“I can’t help but feel partially responsible for this. If I hadn’t of broken things off with Seven, hell, if I hadn’t gotten involved with her in the first place, then maybe none of this would have happened.” He could admit this to B’Elanna; she was his oldest friend after all.

“Chakotay, you can’t blame yourself for that Borgs action. You have done nothing but follow your heart, and we only have to look at you when the Captain is around to see that she is where your heart truly lies. I never knew what you saw in Seven, other than the obvious, in the first place.” She rolled her eyes.

“Perhaps your right Torres, still I should have known and now the Captain is at risk because of it” He tried to keep his anger reined in, he didn’t want to upset Miral or B’Elanna with his mood. “Well I have better leave, let you 2 get some rest... and go and find her namesake” He smiled at Miral, “We have to get her back in one piece for you don’t we little one” He whispered, smiling at the girl. He patted B’Elanna’s hand that rested on his arm and started to walk towards to door.

“If anyone can bring her home, Chakotay, it’s you” B’Elanna called out after him. He could only hope that his friends’ faith in him wasn’t misplaced.


	17. Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quite a short chapter in comparrison to others... Don't worry there is more to come

_Seven looked around her. She found herself sat on the floor of a dimly light, damp cell. Allowing her eyes to adjust to the lighting she stood up and moved around as much as she could. She estimated that the cell itself was only 9ft square, with two beds on opposite sides. One wall was taken by a force field, but outside the field was only another wall, there was nothing to indicate to Seven where exactly she was within the Yaksori vessel. She walked over to the field and tried to see if there was anything more she could see; there wasn’t, it appeared to be only a long corridor._

_Moving away again she continued to look around the cell, her eyes now adjusted to the light levels she noticed a hunched figure in a dark corner at the back, moving towards it she observed that the figure was facing away from her. She moved closer and reached down, turning the figure over she gasped._

_“Captain”_

_Kathryn moaned, her head pounding and limbs feeling heavy. She heard a familiar voice float somewhere above her, was that Seven? Where was she? What happened? Her eyes fluttered open and she saw the outline of someone leaning over her. Janeway was thankful that the lights were not too bright; she didn’t think that her headache could take an attack of light on her senses right now. She took a deep breath and started to feel the fog of sedation lift, her memory of her last moments of consciousness coming back. Chakotay’s smile, the smell of coffee...the tingle of the transporter, the cold of a hypo spray against her neck... Seven had drugged her!_

_Janeway sat up quickly, ignoring the pain in her head as a result of the movement. Quickly scanning the area around her she took in the situation. Squaring her gaze directly on the young woman in front of her, she felt her anger start to bubble._

_“What the hell did you do?” Kathryn growled_

_“Captain... I...I...” Seven’s voice died in her throat, she knew she was in trouble and this was all her fault._

_“Seven, I am waiting” If Kathryn could have put her hands on her hips she would have done, but sitting on the floor of this cell it wasn’t going to happen, “You drugged me, kidnapped me... why?”_

_“I believed it was in the best interest of the ship if you were no longer on-board” Straight and to the point as ever, Seven looked down briefly, “I was in error, I see that now”_

_“Oh you see that NOW! Now that we are god knows where and away from Voyager.” Kathryn sighed “Why did you abduct me Seven? What have I done to deserve this kind of treatment from you?”_

_Seven began to feel the anger bubbling inside her again; it was quickly coming to the surface “I was injured by you”_

_“I injured you... how?” Kathryn asked indignantly_

_“Because of you, my relationship with Commander Chakotay was terminated!” Seven’s anger bursting through her facade of calm_

_“I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t even know there was anything there to break up...and even if I did that certainly wouldn’t excuse your actions Seven” Kathryn was shocked, and instantly realised something was wrong with Seven. She was normally level headed and almost Vulcan in her emotional control, this was not the Seven she knew._

_“No no don’t you see, that you are the reason that Voyager is always attacked... it’s your fault, you toy with these males emotions, flirt, charm and manipulate them in to getting what you want before turning on them, only to wonder why they attack you.” Seven stood up abruptly, and began pacing, “You do it all the time with Chakotay, you have done it with the Devore, hell even Neelix falls over himself just to please you... and you just use it without giving anything back in return”_

_“So you think that the reason we have been attacked is what... me?” Kathryn was shocked._

_“It is the obvious conclusion, so in order to fix it, if you are removed from Voyager, then we will be able to continue to the Alpha Quadrant without further attacks.” Seven snarled, “And if that leave the way clear for Chakotay and I to continue our relationship without you there then that is an additional benefit”_

_“Oh, so this isn’t just about Voyager and my perceived behaviour getting us attacked, it is about your relationship with Chakotay and my standing in the way.” Kathryn let out a laugh “Seven he ended it with you for his own reasons, having me off Voyager will not make him love you anymore or less than he currently does. In fact you kidnapping me will only seal his hatred of you. He and I have come to rely on each other to get through this journey home” Kathryn reached up and used the wall to pull herself in to standing, testing the strength in her legs as she did, finding that the sedative Seven had used was wearing off quickly._

_“If that is the case then I am in error, but you will not be there to see it” Seven snarled_

_“Why is that Seven” Kathryn asked, shocked at the venom she was feeling radiating from the young woman she thought of as a surrogate daughter._

_“I have made an arrangement with Captain Yanish, you are to remain here, and in exchange Voyager will be allowed to travel through their space without further attack” Seven said coldly._

_“And I suppose this luxury was part of the agreement” Kathryn said indicating their surroundings, bemused by the expression of concern briefly flash across Sevens face._

_“There has been a complication, one which I will quickly resolve once Captain Yanish is available” She snapped, turning from Kathryn’s gaze, ending the conversation._

_Kathryn seethed, leaning against the wall, waiting for her legs to feel strong enough to keep her body upright, for the first time noticing that her uniform jacket and tunic was missing. Had she removed them? Yes she had removed her jacket at least, it was over the back of her Ready Room chair, and she had removed it after the battle with the Yaksori. She had no idea where her tunic was, but she missed it, for the first time feeling the cold air against her exposed arms in her vest top. Her Comm. Badge was also missing. How would she contact Voyager and let them know where she was? Chakotay must know she was missing and know who had her by now._

_‘He will come of me’ Kathryn thought, of that she was sure, it was just a matter of time._

_The sound of heavy footsteps broke Kathryn out of her own thoughts. 4 Yaksori men came to the force field. They were dressed head to toe in stiff black armour, heavy boots on their feet and phaser style weapons drawn. Kathryn felt her stomach churn at the sight of them... this was not going to go the way Seven of Nine had expected, Kathryn did not see this going well at all._

_2 of the men moved aside and a larger Yaksori man filled the space. His uniform was adorned with silver embellishments; he was obviously a man in charge. Kathryn straightened, and prepared herself for a fight. The Yaksori smiled, revealing very sharp looking teeth, “Greetings Captain Janeway, I am Krem, 2 nd in command of this vessel. You and your crewman are my prisoners” _

_“Where is Captain Yanish?” asked Seven, “We had an arrangement, one which I expect you to up hold” She stepped forward, inches from Krem’s face, if it hadn’t been for the force field Kathryn suspected that Seven would be nose to nose with him._

_“Our Captain is in our medical bay, he is no longer in command of this vessel therefore your arrangement is not longer valid. Both you and your Captain are prisoners of the Yaksori, and will stand trial for your actions in the damage caused to this vessel according to our laws” Krem snarled._

_“Unacceptable” spat Seven._

_Kathryn watched the scene in front of her play out, analysing the information that was being revealed. Seven had betrayed her, for whatever twisted reason that she had justified it in her mind, Seven was willing to give her up to the Yaksori and let them do anything they wanted with her. Kathryn was horrified, but she was the Captain first and she had to resolve this as peacefully as she could._

_“Do you expect your Captain to recover from his injuries?” Captain Janeway asked, Kathryn hidden beneath the carefully constructed mask of command._

_“Our Doctor does not know, his injuries are severe, because of your attack on this vessel his life hangs in the hands of the gods” Krem was bitter. Janeway saw a flash of worry cross his face, and noticed the scales that went along his hairline shimmer. Did this Krem have a similar feeling of loyalty to his Captain as Chakotay did for her?_

_“If we were able to get in contact with Voyager our Doctor would be able to help treat his injuries.” Kathryn tried, hoping that Krem would accept their help and ultimately contact Chakotay and Voyager._

_Krem thought for a moment “I will discuss it with our Doctors. However I believe that if we go near your vessel again a conflict will follow... and this time your ship will not win” He growled at Kathryn, ignoring Seven completely._

_“Then let me contact them. Let me speak to my first officer and explain it, they will be looking for me as it is, and if they find me on-board against my will they will not hesitate to open fire on your vessel.” Kathryn noticed Seven straighten at her mention of Chakotay... so this really was just a personal vendetta against her for Seven, and nothing to do with Voyager, no matter what the ex-Borg claimed._

_“Then they will end your life also” Krem snapped_

_“My life is a small price to pay for the safety of my ship and her crew” Kathryn stated, it was a matter of fact._

_“We will see” Krem snarled again, and turned walking back the way he had come, the 4 other men with him fell in to formation behind him._

_Kathryn let out the breath she had been holding, Seven slumped as much as she could, the fight leaving her body._

_“I apologise Captain. I made an error in judgement and have now put us and Voyager at risk.” Seven said, not looking at Kathryn at all._

_“We can assign blame later Seven, right now we need to find a way to contact Voyager and get out of here before anything happens to us or their Captain.” Kathryn stated, and began pacing the small cell, a plan formulating in her mind._


	18. Sickbay

**_ The Doctor _ **

‘I did what was best for my patient... or as my judgement clouded by the fact it was Seven?’ The Doctor’s thoughts were running round his holographic brain. He knew that he was attracted to Seven of Nine, hell after his deathbed confessions half the ship knew he was attracted to her. When she had come to him about wanting to expand her knowledge of human relationships, he had hoped that she had wanted to have a relationship with him, but it had turned out to be another hologram all together. It was the Commander, something which had now, apparently, come out of the realms of holographic fantasy in to the real world, but was now over due to his feelings for the Captain.

When Seven had told him that, his heart had broken for her, but he realised that he could be a shoulder to cry on for her, not that he had seen her cry except from when her Cortical node had failed. The EMH had told himself that removing her failsafe was for her own good, and had ignored the little voice in the back of his mind telling him he was doing this for his own selfish reasons... he was hoping by being the one to do everything he could for Seven she would see him as more than a friend, maybe even allowing a romantic relationship to develop.

He turned on his office chair and tried to refocus his mind on the task at hand, helping Seven of Nine when they got her back. He felt guilt anger at himself for not ensuring that Seven had followed his advise and regenerated, for performing the procedure at all when she was in such a delicate emotional state but mainly for not informing the Captain what he was doing, which had ultimately led the Captain and Seven in to danger and who knew what kind of harm. The Doctor only hoped that when they returned he would be able to treat whatever injuries they had, and that they returned alive.

With the Captain only missing from Voyager the mood on the ship was greatly affected, everyone seemed more focused on their tasks but tempers were frayed and on edge, including his own. He sighed and continued to look through the data from Seven’s last scan from this morning, after he had completed the surgery comparing it to the information from her physical the previous week, looking for any small detail that might help him, after an hour of looking he had found nothing. Frustrated he pushed up from his desk and decided to check of B’Elanna and his goddaughter, Miral.

“How are you feeling Lieutenant?” He asked quietly, not knowing if Miral was asleep or not until he got closer.

“I feel OK in general Doctor, a little sore but OK. I could really do with a shower though if I am allowed to get up... and a something other than this gown to wear would be good too” B’Elanna hated the medical gown that she had to wear. The EMH smiled and collected his tri-corder from the tray next to the bed. He began sweeping it over B’Elanna’s body, taking general readings from her.

“I see no reason why you can’t get up and move around, if you feel strong enough to do so. I will have some clothing bought to you from your quarters if you like, unless you would like to replicate something new to wear, my replicator is at your disposal. I will watch Miral for you” He smiled, glad of the distraction from his fruitless search.

“Thank you Doctor” B’Elanna said, sliding herself forward on the bed preparing to swing her legs over the edge, “She had a feed not too long ago so she should be OK for awhile. She is sleeping at the moment but who knows how long that will last” B’Elanna rolled her eyes. So far Miral was only sleeping in brief moments, obviously picking up on the mood on Voyager already thought B’Elanna.

She stood up and swayed a little, gripping the Doctor for support. Once she had her balance she looked up at his face, and saw the look of concern. “I am alright Doc, just haven’t stood up for a while that’s all.” She paused, “Tell you what I am going stir crazy just sitting here while everyone else is busy, and I know I can’t return to Engineering, not that I want to right now” She smiled at the sleeping form in the cot next to her, “How about after I get cleaned up I join you in looking through your data, a fresh pair of eyes, and I might see something mechanical that you don’t?”

The EMH smiled at the Chief Engineers offer, knowing that she was making it sound like he would be helping her if he accepted, when really they would be helping each other.

“Yes, that would be OK, as long as you don’t over exert yourself B’Elanna, you have just had a long labour remember” He sighed again “You and the Captain are the same when it comes to being cooped up in here and unable to do something... just as long as you don’t develop her coffee habit” They both smiled at the mention of Kathryn’s infamous reliance on the caffeinated drink. The Captain had once called it the greatest substance known to man; she had beaten the Borg with it after all.

B’Elanna nodded in agreement, slowly letting go of the Doctor’s arms she moved towards the small bathroom at the back of Sickbay. The Doctor watched her go prepared to run to her if she wobbled or her legs gave out. When the door closed he walked closer to the cot and smiled at his goddaughter, he was already so in love with the infant, she was only the second he had delivered on-board, with Naomi Wildman being the first nearly 6 years ago. He had a special fondness for both the girls, but Miral took more of his heart than he thought possible.

Miral moved in her sleep and started to wake, the Doctor leaned forward and collected the infant in his arms, feeling the weight of her and noticing she was slightly cold, he warmed his holographic skin to just above B’Elanna’s natural body temperature, which was higher than a humans but not as high as a full blooded Klingon. He felt Miral snuggle in to him as he moved around the bay lightly singing to her, it was one of his favourite old Earth lullabies, Hush a by mountain, from a film the Mr. Paris had told him about, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Doctor had enjoyed it for the music in it rather than the flying car.

_“A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain,_

_Softly blows o'er lullaby bay._

_It fills the sails of boats that are waiting--_

_Waiting to sail your worries away._

_It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain_

_And your boat waits down by the key._

_The winds of night so softly are sighing--_

_Soon they will fly your troubles to sea._

_So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain._

_Wave good-bye to cares of the day._

_And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain_

_Sail far away from lullaby bay.”_

                He continued to pace around the bay, feeling the infant grow heavy in his arms and fall back to sleep peacefully. Deciding to keep walking as much for himself as for Miral, he started to hum the tune rather than sing. Music had always helped him think, and right now all he wanted to do was think of a way to help Seven and the Captain. He heard B’Elanna exit the bathroom and move over to the replicator at the other end of the medical bay, he didn’t turn in her direction giving B’Elanna as much privacy as he could given the open plan of the room.

“I will just change Doctor, and then we can get to work” She paused noticing that the hologram held her daughter, sleeping peacefully in his arms “She likes you Doctor, you are a good choice for godfather” She left quickly and closed the bathroom door behind her, leaving the Doctor feeling happier than he had for a few hours.

After another few moments B’Elanna left the bathroom, now dressed in a lose t-shirt and trousers, similar to the sleep wear he had previously seen her in when she was working on a problem with a mechanical man, and on her few trips to Sickbay in the middle of the night with false labour pains.

“She seems happier in your arms Doctor, do you mind holding her for a little while longer, I think she could do with the sleep...and that way I can look at the PADDs more easily.” She quickly added.

The EMH nodded “Of course I don’t mind, babies like physical contact... and to tell you the truth Lieutenant I am rather grateful for it to at the moment.” It wasn’t like the Doctor to reveal that kind of personal detail to another member of the crew, but B’Elanna was like family to him now.

The half Klingon nodded, “I can understand that Doctor.” She moved towards where he was still pacing with Miral, laying a hand on his shoulder “We will get them both back Doctor, and you will find a way to help Seven of Nine. It isn’t your fault that Seven ignored your medical advice and kidnapped the Captain”. B’Elanna didn’t like the ex-Borg; she found her cold and demanding, almost smug in her dealings with the crew because of her knowledge from her time as a member of the collective.

B’Elanna led the way to the Doctors office; she sat in the chair opposite his desk, gathering up some of the PADDs as she did so. Although she was used to normally being on her feet all day after only a short time standing she was grateful for the sit down, anything beat being stuck in bed all day as far as she was concerned. The EMH came in still humming to Miral. B’Elanna turned towards him, her heart swelling at the sight.

“Where did you get to Doctor?” She asked smiling at them both

“Well, I was going over the basic information from Seven’s last scans, but I am afraid that my mind wasn’t really on the task at hand so I have been unable to see any differences between the 2 scans. Perhaps looking at it with you will shed some light on things” As he spoke he continued to sway with Miral, keeping the infant asleep, allowing them both time to think in the relative quiet of Sickbay, only the occasional bleep from monitors in the lab.

The 2 of them worked in the quiet for a few minutes, the EMH preferring to stand, humming quietly to himself and Miral, normally the incessant humming of the Doctor would have irritated B’Elanna, however seeing the hologram humming and swaying with her infant daughter in his arms was enough to keep any irritation she may have felt at bay, replaced with a warming sense of happiness and family. ‘Could motherhood be calming me already’ B’Elanna thought absent mindedly.

After 20 minutes of looking over the Doctors information, B’Elanna suddenly looked up, wondering if what she was seeing was normal or not.

“Doctor?” She asked, lowering her voice, the EMH paused his reading and swaying to look up at the Engineer “Is it normal for Seven of Nine to have nano-probes in the Limbic System, particularly clustered around the hippocampus?” She queried, unsure what was normal for the Drone and what wasn’t.

The Doctor thought for a moment, probing his memory files, “Not that I can recall. She has never had any nano-probes in that area of the brain, they are usually just in the blood stream and around her implants.”

“Could removal of her failsafe cause this? Perhaps her biological immune system is treating the area like an illness and is sending her nano-probes to repair it. Could that cause this irrational behaviour?”

The Doctor thought again, and then he looked up at the young woman in front of him, “Yes I believe it could. So we have to find a way to get her nano-probes to stop seeing her hippocampus as an illness.” If he could have jumped for joy he would of none, as it was all he could do was smile as widely as he could.

“OK, so now we know what is causing it, how bad could this be right now...and how much danger could the Captain be in?” B’Elanna asked, worried about his answer

The Doctors face sank, he looked her straight in the eye “Going by these figures and knowing how fast her nano-probes can replicate themselves... we need to get the Captain and Seven back as soon as possible. Seven has Borg strength but the emotional stability of a human toddler. A very dangerous combination indeed”


	19. Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay, trying to balance a toddler, a newborn, household and working again... I haven't had a moment to stop.  
> It's a quick chapter but more is coming I promise.

_Kathryn sat on the metal bench that was supposed to pass as one of the beds in their cell. The cold metal sent chills through her skin with every little shift in position, the fabric of her uniform doing nothing to keep the cold at bay._

_Seven was pacing back and forth across the cell floor, muttering under her breath to herself, opening and closing her fists as she did so. The dim light of the cell glinted off the assimilation tubules on her hand each time. It made Kathryn nervous, there was obviously something wrong with the ex-drone, something that Seven had not wanted to come to her about, which in itself was unusual. Seven had always spoken to her about things she wanted to know, even if it was in front of other crew members or had woken her from sleep in the middle of the night._

_Kathryn shifted again, attempting to find a more comfortable position to sit in. Failing she sighed and decided to attempt to lay on her back. The Doctor was always telling her that she needed to relax and that her posture could be better. Laying on a hard surface was meant to help with that, wasn’t it? Either way at this point Kathryn couldn’t watch Seven pace anymore, although she would keep an eye on her blonde, just in case something changed. Seven appeared to be muttering in a loop about something, Kathryn could only hear the odd word._

_“Couldn’t have.... Why did.... She should have.... Out of my....” over and over again; it was starting to drive Kathryn mad. Seven suddenly stopped moving, Kathryn looked over at where she stood and realised that Seven was staring directly at her. Her blue eyes boring in to her, it made her uncomfortable and set her on edge. Whatever Seven had been thinking about and trying to resolve herself she had come to some sort of resolution... and Kathryn was the focal point._

_“Are you OK Seven?” Kathryn asked, trying to sound calm and in control._

_“It is your fault!” The drone blurted out, anger seemed to be leaving her every pore._

_Kathryn sat up, slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements, and to give her aching body time to readjust to her position, “What’s my fault?” She sighed inwardly, having a feeling she knew where this was going... again._

_“That Voyager is stuck out here, that all of us are stuck out here, stuck this way. Alone, unwanted by anyone” Seven ranted_

_“Yes, I destroyed the Caretakers array, and yes, I made the decision to free you from the Collective” Kathryn leaned forward and rested her elbows on her thighs, a position she often held when dealing with difficult conversations, particularly with Chakotay, “I thought that you had come to terms and had embraced your individuality Seven”_

_“I was in error” Seven spat out, “You should have never come to the Delta Quadrant, everything would have been better without your presence here. Members of your crew would still be alive now if you had simply returned to the Alpha Quadrant using the array” She took a step towards where Kathryn was sitting._

_Kathryn sat up at that comment. Seven was voicing all the thoughts she herself had gone over ever since they were thrown in to the Delta quadrant by the Caretaker and she had made the decision to destroy the array when the Caretaker had died, to protect the Ocampa, which had lead to the merging of her crew and Chakotay’s marquis crew, having both taken heavy losses in the process. Since then Kathryn had lost more people, each one had left a mark on her heart, and with each one of them she had a letter written to their families about how they had died along with the standard Starfleet report. Hell there was even a report in there for Seska after she had died when the Kazon had taken Voyager and stranded the crew on Hanon IV._

_“Each one of those people would still be alive today if it weren’t for you. Durst, Bandera, Hogan, Suder, Kaplan, Jetal, Carey to name a few”_

_“I don’t need you to name them for me Seven, I know all of their names, faces, their families and friends” Kathryn growled, feeling her own anger growing in her, threatening to take her control away. She saw their faces every time she closed her eyes, felt the weight of their loss on a daily basis, those she had lost coming in to this god forsaken quadrant and those she had lost on their journey home._

_“You are the reason they are no longer here” Seven hissed, spinning back on her heel, turning away from Kathryn. Her anger and jealousy was getting the better of her, although she could feel it boiling though her system; she was having trouble controlling it._

_Kathryn sighed inwardly, staring at Seven’s back, glad that for a moment at least, her kidnapper had lost interest in tormenting her. She tried to shift in to a more comfortable position again, silently thinking when Voyager would to them? Had they even realised that she was missing? What had Seven done to her ship to make them unable to come to her aid, otherwise she was sure that they would be there already. ‘Chakotay, where are you?’ She whispered._

**_ Chakotay _ **

Chakotay was restless, and frustrated. His shift on the Bridge felt like it was on the go slow, every minute felt like an hour, and every moment that he didn’t know if Kathryn was safe was like a knife stabbing in his chest. He paced back and forth over the Command platform on the bridge, wearing a track through the carpet. When he heard Tom sigh and grumble under his breath something along the lines of “ _If only we could power Voyager on his pacing”_ Chakotay had taken the hint and moved to the Ready Room.

He would have normally gone to his office, but he wanted to be closer to the Bridge so that he could get to Kathryn as soon as possible, but he also wanted to feel close to her as well. Her Ready Room seemed like the best of both worlds to him. He walked in and was immediately hit by the scent of her... perfume and coffee. A small smile passed his lips, and he felt calmer than he had since she disappeared.

“What would you be doing Kathryn?” He said to the thin air, a quiet voice in his head told him the answer; it was her voice, “ _Scan for the ship... Scan for Seven” He_ knew that was what he had to do, but until they were moving again he couldn’t do any of it. “ _Where are you Chakotay?”_ Her voice was a clear in his head as if she was sitting at her desk in front of him.

“I’m coming Kathryn, Spirits help me, I will be there soon” He said out loud.

At that moment his Comm. Badge chirped.

“Tuvok to Commander Chakotay” came the steady Vulcan voice

Chakotay tapped his chest, “Yes Tuvok”

“Commander, Engineering is reporting that the Warp Core is back on line and that they will have the long range sensors online in a few minutes.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, “Excellent, as soon as the sensors are up, scan for the Yaksori vessel, then I want you to scan for Seven’s implants. I want their position pin-pointed within that vessel so we can come up with a plan to get them back with minimal difficulties”

“Aye Commander, Tuvok out”

The line went dead, and for the first time in what felt like forever, hope started to bloom in his chest. As he turned to make his way back out on to the Bridge his Comm. Sounded again.

“Doctor to Commander Chakotay”

“Yes Doctor, how is it coming with your investigations?”

“With Lt. Torres’ help I am happy to report we have made progress... however... I am still unsure how to go about creating a cure as of yet” the EMH’s voice sounded shaky and defeated. Chakotay could almost hear B’Elanna grinding her teeth in the background.

“Do you know what is causing the issue Doctor?”

“Chakotay... she has her nano-probes going crazy in her brain. They are flooding her emotional control systems that haven’t been accessed since she was assimilated. She has no emotional control at all...” B’Elanna’s voice cut in

The EMH sighed “As bluntly as Lt. Torres put it... she is correct Commander. Seven did not follow my instructions and regenerate after her surgery; her systems have not had a chance to get used to the new pathways, or to create their own controls. Effectively she is acting like a toddler... a fully grown adult sized human toddler, with Borg strength”

Chakotay’s blood froze at that. “Doctor, do you believe Seven is a threat to the Captain?”

The only sound Chakotay heard for a few moments was the silence of Voyager buzzing around him. “Yes Commander, I believe she could be” came the reply.

“Chakotay, we need to find them... Now!” B’Elanna sounded as worried as he felt.

“The engines have just come back to us and we are on the move, the sensors are about to come up too. We will find them B’E don’t worry. Doctor is this issue likely to improve or worsen if Seven does not regenerate soon?”

“I believe that it will get progressively worse, however I cannot give you a time frame as I do not know what conditions the Captain and Seven are being kept in... but I would suggest we get them back within the next hour or 2” the holograms voice sounded grave and worried. Chakotay knew that he had developed a friendship with Kathryn and he was also aware of the feelings that he had for Seven of Nine... they could almost rival his own for Kathryn.

“Understood Doctor, Chakotay Out” he tapped his badge and made his way back out on to the Bridge, heading directly for his chair.

“Harry, how are those sensor looking?”

The young ensign shifted his position slightly, tapping a few keys before he spoke “They have just come online Commander, I will start them scanning for the Shuttles warp trail, and then the Yaksori Vessel.”

“Very good Harry” He smiled at the young man, “Tom, as soon as we have an idea of where they are, lay in a course Warp 6, we want to get there but we also need some time to plan how to get them back without risking anybody else... I don’t think the Captain will appreciate a rescue attempt that puts her crew in too much danger” He joked as well as he could with the Helmsman, appreciating his presence on the Bridge despite having a newborn daughter in Sickbay.

“Aye” Tom replied

‘ _Hold on Kathryn, I’m coming´_ he thought.


	20. Plans

_The sound of pounding footsteps first alerted Kathryn that there was something going on. She opened her eyes, only then realising she had fallen asleep, resting against the bulkhead of the cell they were being held in... How long have I been asleep? She thought, looking around trying to clear her foggy mind. It obviously wasn’t long enough to refresh her but it was enough for her joints to stiffen and ache with every movement now._

_She slid forward gingerly, testing her muscles before standing. As she did so the footsteps came to a halt, both Kathryn and Seven turned and looked in to the faces of their captures._

_“Our Captain has succumbed to his injuries, caused by your attack” Krem stated coldly, but Kathryn could see something in his eyes that told her this was anything but a matter of fact statement he was delivering, there was a glint of anger and hurt. Instinctively Kathryn took a step forward._

_“I am sorry for the loss of your Captain and friend” She said, her Captain’s mask slipping a little to reveal the woman underneath. She was genuinely sorry for the man’s loss. She may not have liked Yanish from her interactions with him, but it was clear that his crew deeply respected him and felt his death keenly._

_“You must pay for the result of your actions” Krem stated “According to our customs, you will face a trial before your punishment is decided. Your trial will begin in 30 minutes” with his message delivered, the new Captain of the Yaksori security vessel span on his heel and stalked out of sight, leaving Kathryn stunned and reeling._

_Once all of the Yaksori had left, Kathryn placed her hands on her hips and glared at Seven of Nine who had been silently standing in the corner behind her._

_“What have you gotten us in to now Seven!” She hissed, and then sighed, Captain Janeway knew she would need Seven’s Borg knowledge on this species even more now. “Do you know anything about what this trial will require?”_

_Seven thought for a moment and then nodded “Yes, the trial is set by the wronged party, usually a physical element of some sort is included”_

_“Can you give me any ideas as to what the ‘physical element’ is likely to be, Seven?” She sighed inwardly, it was usually difficult to get information out of Seven but this was like drawing blood from a stone._

_“No, I cannot... however I can tell you that if you fail in the trial it will likely result in your death and the destruction of Voyager” Seven stated_

_“And I suppose that my not longer being here would serve your purposes” Kathryn hissed under her breath._

_“Yes... however the destruction of Voyager and her crew would not” Seven growled back._

_“Then I suggest we work together to ensure that I don’t fail in this trial, Seven, do you think you can control your emotions until we are back on Voyager and this is all behind us?”_

_The ex-drone simply nodded, and Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief... at least that was one problem she could sort out later, right now she needed to figure out how she was going to stay alive long enough for Voyager to find them._

**_ Chakotay _ **

“Commander... I have found them, and I have located Seven of Nine within the vessel, using her Borg implants to track them” Harry exclaimed from his Ops station.

“Great Harry, send the co-ordinates to the helm, Tom lay in a course” Chakotay ordered, a smile flashed across his face.

“Yes Sir” came the reply from both men, they were as anxious to get their Captain back as Chakotay was; she was after all the heart of the ship and mother figure of sorts to both of them.

Voyagers engines hummed in to life as Tom engaged Warp 6, looking over his console he estimated their time to arrival “We should be there in approximately 40 minutes Commander. That should give us time to figure out a plan”

Chakotay nodded, “Thank you Tom” He tapped his Comm. Badge “Senior Officers to the briefing room in 10 minutes” He turned and walked towards his Vulcan tactical officer, “Tuvok, I want all the information we have about the layout of that ship, work with Harry to try to pinpoint where Seven and the Captain are, we can formulate a plan with it”

“Understood Commander”

Chakotay thought for a moment before tapping his badge again “Chakotay to the Doctor”

“Yes Commander... I haven’t gotten much further with my analysis, although Lt. Torres is assisting me”

“That’s alright Doctor I was calling to ask you a different question actually... how much information do you need about the appearance of a species in order to make someone look like them?” He asked, thinking of a backup plan in his mind.

“Relatively little Commander, I am assuming you are talking about the Yaksori. We have the visual records of their facial appearance and glimpses of their hands and clothing from their communications with us, from that I should be able to extrapolate a close enough facsimile that will pass a basic glance”

“Excellent Doctor, I would like you and B’Elanna, if she is up to it, to join us at the briefing in 10 minutes. I think your input in to this situation will be useful”

“Yes Commander, I believe Lt. Torres will be available... along with her baby”

Chakotay glanced at Tom at the helm, he was grinning ear to ear at the mention of his Daughter, Chakotay couldn’t help but smile too, “I am sure her father will be more than happy to look after her and give B’Elanna a break” Tom nodded his confirmation, it had only been an hour since she saw his wife and child but he realised how much he missed them both already... fatherhood had changed him already.

“Agreed, see you in a few minutes then” The EMH closed the communication and looked at his patient and goddaughter. “Looks like Miral is a Senior Officer already... following in her parents footsteps already” They both smiled at the infant.

B’Elanna handed her daughter to the hologram and stood up gingerly, still slightly sore from her labour and birth. “I suppose I should get something more appropriate to wear then” she indicated to the sleep wear she was currently sporting. “Would you mind watching Miral again, while I change?” The EMH wasn’t listening; he was already swaying and talking to the tiny baby in his arms. B’Elanna quickly stepped out and replicated herself a new uniform to wear to the briefing.

10 minutes later the remaining Senior staff were in the briefing room and most were in their usual positions, except Chakotay who took Kathryn’s usual chair at the head of the table. Harry Kim and Tom Paris, cradling his daughter in his arms, were to his right, while B’Elanna, Tuvok, Lt Ayala and the Doctor were on the left of him.

“OK, so what information have we got so far?” Chakotay asked, opening the table to everyone. Harry was the first to speak.

“I have located the Yaksori vessel on sensors and have been able to confirm that at least Seven of Nine is on-board using the information from her Borg implants, however I can’t confirm if the Captain is with her as well, although it is pretty safe to assume so”

“I would have to agree with Ensign Kim, it is logical to assume that the Captain and Seven of Nine are being kept together, after all it was Seven that delivered the Captain to them” Tuvok agreed in his ever even Vulcan tone.

Chakotay nodded. “Harry, can the scans of the Yaksori vessel give you an indication as to its layout and where exactly Seven is within it? Even if the Captain isn’t with her when we arrive she will hopefully be able to lead us to her”

“That’s if she even wants to help us Chakotay, are you forgetting that she is the reason that Captain Janeway is missing in the first place?” B’Elanna angrily hissed, not wanting to wake the baby. B’Elanna had never liked or trusted the ex-drone, and this was just another incident that provided her proof that her feelings were well founded.

“Seven is likely to help us, she is friends with the Captain...even if that friendship is somewhat strained lately” The Doctor chimed in, glaring at Chakotay, he knew that Voyager’s First Officer was the reason for Seven’s emotional instability and the strain in her friendship with Captain Janeway.

“Be that as it may” Chakotay growled a warning to his staff, “Seven is likely to help us if it is a logical choice, which I think we can all agree it is for the sake of the Crews morale.”

He glanced around the table watching heads nod in agreement to his statement. Turning to Harry and Tom he asked “How close do you think we will need to be to transport through the shields and get close enough to Sevens position without raising the alarms? I don’t want to beam her out if we aren’t certain where the Captain is.”

“Looking at them, I believe that Seven is in a quiet part of the Vessel, however the corridors around it appear heavily guarded, my suggestion would be to get as close as we can to the ship, maybe even under it, and transport in to the corridor just round the corner of the where Seven’s implants are. She doesn’t appear to have moved location in the past hour, so she could be in some kind of holding cell.”

“I can get us in to a blind spot for their sensors, it should give us a few minutes of cover, it won’t be much but I will give you all the time that I can” Tom chimed in, swaying slightly with Miral, his motion was making Chakotay realise how tired he was, he hadn’t slept in 36 hours, and he knew he wouldn’t rest until Kathryn was back at his side again.

“Great, I have asked the Doctor about surgically altering the away teams appearances to make them look Yaksori, I am hoping that the crew is large enough that we will be able to slip in and slip out again without causing too much of a commotion.”

“Do you intend to go as part of the away team, Commander?” Tuvok asked

“Yes, I will be leading the away team, with Mike for backup” Chakotay nodded towards Lt. Ayala, “I want you to take command of Voyager while we attempt to rescue to Captain and Seven” Chakotay said, scanning the table waiting for any objections to his plan. No one did.

“Well, now that the basics are sorted, I believe Lt. Ayala and I have an appointment with the Doctor, Dismissed everyone, let’s get our Captain back” With that everyone stood up and started to leave the room, Tom paused to return Miral to her mother before heading back to the Bridge to find the blind spots he needed to hide Voyager for as long as possible.


	21. In to Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it has taken me a while to post this chapeter. Trying to balance life with children is hard sometimes.  
> Please enjoy this chapter, the next shouldn't be too long away

**_ Chakotay _ **

“Where are they?” Commander Chakotay snapped as he exited on to the bridge from the Captains Ready Room.

“We are at their co-ordinates Commander, however they are not here. They may have left a false warp trail to keep us off their trail.” Tuvok answered from tactical. Chakotay stood in the middle of the command platform, hands on hips in a very Kathryn gesture.

“Harry, can you filter out the ‘false’ trail and find them” He sighed “the Captain and Seven have been gone for almost 3 hours now, we need to find them”

“I believe I can, however I will need to go to Astrometrics to perform the sensor recalibrations from there... I will also be able to plot the most effective course for Tom to follow to get to them” Chakotay nodded his approval and the young ensign headed for the turbolift.

“Tuvok, have you found a way to get through their shields should we need it now?” Chakotay asked, turning his attention back to the Vulcan.

“I believe so Commander, their shields are similar to those of the Borg, they are able to adapt to the phasers and absorb their power. Therefore I suggest that we treat them like we would the Borg once their shields have adapted.”

“Photon Torpedoes?”

“Yes Commander, however I would suggest also varying their yield in order to still be able to successfully rescuing the Captain and Seven of Nine” Chakotay paused and considered the tactical officers plan, after a few moments he realised it was something that he would do himself and also something that Kathryn would have approved.

“Agreed Tuvok, but I want to use the phasers as much as possible, we are running low on Torpedoes and we don’t know when we will be able to restock. I will however leave their use to your logical discretion”

“Thank you Commander. I assure you I will only use them as a last resort and will modify the phasers to have maximum affect without allowing the Yaksori to adapt to them.” Again Chakotay nodded.

“ _Doctor to Commander Chakotay”_ the comm. Chirped.

“Yes Doctor” Chakotay tapped his chest as he spoke

“ _I believe I am getting a message from Seven of Nine. She is using my holographic matrix and transmitting a message that only I can hear.”_

“Is that something she knows how to do?” Chakotay said, aware that the Doctor had done the reverse on a previous occasion

“ _It appears so, however I am unable to send a message back as this one is a repeating message, simply saying ‘hurry’, which to me sounds more like the Captain than Seven”_

Chakotay smiled at the message, knowing it was definitely a Kathryn Janeway message. “I agree Doctor, are you able to send a message back to Seven using her Borg implants like you have previously?”

_“I am not sure if I can at any distance... perhaps if I was able to boost the message using the ships systems...”_

“Ask engineering or maybe even B’Elanna if she is still happy to help and is medically fit to” Chakotay said, feeling a wave of relief wash through him. Kathryn was OK and was still being the Captain telling her crew to hurry up.

“ _Understood Commander, I will keep you appraised of our progress, Doctor out”_ the comm. Line went silent.

Chakotay sat in his chair on the command platform, suddenly tired, the adrenaline leaving his system, he wanted more than anything to get Kathryn back, privately he couldn’t care less right now if Seven of Nine returned or not, but she was important to Kathryn and ultimately she was ill after the surgery to remove her failsafe and not giving her body time to adjust, so he couldn’t really hold her responsible for kidnapping the Captain and throwing all of Voyager in to this situation.

He looked at the centre display panel and started to read the sensor information that was being fed in to it from Ops. At least he appeared to be reading it, instead his mind was twisting the different outcomes of their plan in his head.

“ _Kim to Chakotay”_

 _“_ Chakotay here, Harry how are you getting on?”

_“I am about done down here, and it looks like we aren’t too far from where the vessel actually is, it doesn’t appear that they can project a false trail any great distance. I am transmitting the details to the Helm now”_

“Good work Harry, now we need you back up here when you can”

_“On my way Sir”_

Tom Paris twisted his chair slightly from the Helm station “The information has just come through, just waiting for your word”

“Then let’s go Tom, Warp 7” Chakotay smiled. He liked Tom and knew where the pilots strength were, and how much the man enjoyed flying Voyager at speed.

Tom grinned back and returned to facing his station, laying in the new course and speed.

The plates of Voyager changed vibration as the Warp engine kicked in to gear and smoothly went to Warp. Apparently the virus that Seven had released in to the engineering systems had not caused any permanent damage.

A few moments later the turbolift doors swished open and Harry entered the Bridge, returning swiftly to his station.

“Commander, I was also able to locate Seven of Nine within the Yaksori vessel. I transferred the co-ordinates to the Doc so he can focus his message more accurately”

“Good thinking Harry. Tom, are you able to position Voyager anywhere close to Sevens position?”

Tom tapped his console for a few moments before turning back to the Commander with a large grin on his face “There is a blind spot right underneath them”

At this news, Chakotay and Harry also smiled. “Perfect... right I believe that Mike and I are late for our appointment with the Doc, and you know how much he loves tardiness” He said, standing from his chair and heading towards the turbo lift.

Chakotay was sitting on a Biobed when the Doctor entered the medical bay, after working on the communication with Seven of Nine.

“Apologies for keeping you waiting Commander, the work with B’Elanna took a little longer than anticipated... and you weren’t available when we had previously scheduled this surgery.” The EMH huffed.

“Sorry Doctor, but as it turns out you wouldn’t have been either” Chakotay quipped with the hologram.

“Hmm” was the only response that he got. The Doctor continued scanned Chakotay in silence for a few moments, only turning when the Sickbay doors opened to admit Mike Ayala, who was accompanying Chakotay on the rescue attempt.

“I will be with you on a moment Lt. Ayala” The Doctor stated by way of a greeting

“No problem Doc” Mike replied, turning the Chakotay, who he had served with in the Marquis as well as aboard Voyager, “Is there any start of a plan for how you and I are going to be doing this?”

“Tom has found a blind spot almost exactly under where Seven of Nine is, and Tuvok has discovered that the shields the Yaksori are similar to the Borg so we should get to Seven first, if she isn’t with the Captain we should be able to utilise her Borg capabilities in order to find her and then get them both back to Voyager as soon as possible... and with the Doctors surgical skills we will hopefully be in and out without being detected.”

Mike simply nodded, knowing that no amount of planning would actually help prepare them for what they would find as they didn’t know much about the layout of the Yaksori vessel, or if Seven of Nine was actually going to help them locate Captain Janeway as she was the one that took the Captain in the first place.

“Well Commander, I have completed your scans, if you would like to move to lay down on the bed I will be able to complete your transformation in to a Yaksori” The EMH interjected, eager to get on with his part of the rescue attempt, “Lt. Ayala, I will be with you in a few moments”. Ayala simply nodded, his mind going over all the different tactical scenarios he knew.

Chakotay layed on the biobed and let his mind wander while the Doctor performed the cosmetic surgery to his face, giving him the scales and sharper looking teeth as well as a slight green tinge to his skin that he had not previously noticed on the view screen interactions with Kathryn. Chakotay was lost in his memories of his recent time with Kathryn when the EMH tapped him on the shoulder and leaned over him.

“The surgery is complete Commander, and you are looking like a very good Yaksori man if I do say so myself” the EMH said, clearly pleased with himself.

“Thank you Doctor”

The EMH nodded and turned his attention to Mike Ayala and repeated the process, Chakotay stayed on the biobed waiting for Mike to be ready as well. Tuvok had previously delivered their clothing to Sickbay, although functional their clothing was not particularly comfortable and Chakotay was having some trouble getting used to it compared to his lived in uniform, it felt strange wearing the foreign stiff clothing and he felt restricted. He briefly wondered if that was how Seven of Nine felt in her bio suits that she wore instead of a uniform to allow her to regenerate and keep her remaining Borg implants in check.

Finally the hologram was finished with Mike as well, now the 2 men stood looking at each other getting used to their new appearances so that they would be able to find each other should they be separated while onboard the Yaksori vessel.

“Chakotay to Tuvok” the Commander said tapping his comm. Badge

“ _Tuvok here Commander_ ”

“Lt Ayala and I have finished with the Doctor, how far are we from the Yaksori vessels last known co-ordinates?”

“ _We will be there within the next 2 minutes Commander.”_ The Vulcan security officer informed him.

“Understood. Mike and I will head straight for Transporter room 1, once we are within range of sensors we will need transporter co-ordinates as close to Seven’s location as possible... I want to be in and out as quickly as we can be so keep a lock on us.”

“ _A wise precaution Commander_ ”

“Once we have both Seven and the Captain, I will inform you, have warp engines ready to get us away and out of Yaksori space as quickly as possible... oh and Tuvok, thanks for the new uniforms” Chakotay smiled as he said it

“ _You are most welcome Commander_ ”

“Tuvok, the ship is under your command until we return with the Captain. Do whatever you deem necessary to keep Voyager and the crew safe until then” Chakotay didn’t need to say it, but he wanted to, mainly to reassure himself that what he was doing was for a command reason rather than his own personal guilt that he had caused this with his relationships with both women.

“ _Understood, Tuvok out_ ” the comm. Line closed and Chakotay and Ayala were in the quiet of Sickbay again.

“Right, let’s go” Chakotay said, heading towards the Sickbay doors, Mike falling in by his side in an ease that had come from serving together for so many years. They walked quickly to the Transporter room, grateful that the corridors were empty.

They nodded to the young transporter controller, and stood waiting for the co-ordinates from the Bridge to come through. A few moments later a bleep on the transporter console indicated that they had been received.

Chakotay tapped his badge again “Chakotay to Bridge, co-ordinates received. Keep the comm. Channel open but maintain silence unless it is absolutely vital”

Both men stepped on to the transported pad, Mike handed Chakotay the phaser he had retrieved from the weapons locker nearby and they both set them to stun, not wanting to kill unless it was unavoidable.

“Energise”


	22. In Prision

**_ Kathryn and Seven _ **

Kathryn stirred from a restless sleep, her body had once again gotten the better of her and she had finally fallen asleep without realising it.  Seven was sat stationary in the corner of the room, she needed to regenerate soon, it had been nearly 35 hours since she had and without the nutritional substitutes to keep her Borg physiology maintained to at least function she was starting to feel the effects. Her joints were aching and her mind had started to slow, Seven started to realise what it must be like for normal humans when they had been working hard, giving her a brief insight in to the Captain’s life as she was always on the go aboard Voyager, never really taking time for herself.

Seven began to question her motives for her actions, taking the Captain from Voyager against her will and striking a deal with the now deceased Yaksori Captain. Had she really been at fault to believe that all the issues that were wrong in her life were down to Kathryn Janeway? Or had she been clouded by her emotional feelings towards Chakotay and the Captain, especially as Chakotay had ended their romantic relationship in order to start one with the older woman. Seven was beginning to think she was in error after all. She looked up when she heard Kathryn stir on the only bed in their cell.

“You fell asleep, I believed it best to let you rest. You have been asleep for 2 hours” Seven stated, feeling pained when she saw Kathryn flinch at the sound of her voice.

“I think I would have rather not slept, I don’t think my body has ever been this sore” Kathryn winced as she started to change her position to sit up.

“Perhaps, however your body obviously needed the time to rest and repair itself”

Kathryn simply nodded at the ex-drone, suddenly realising that was the first time since she had been kidnapped from Voyager that Seven had shown any concern for her welfare. Kathryn decided to take it at face value and hope that Seven was overcoming whatever had possessed her in the first place and was returning to her normal balanced self.

“Well, thank you for allowing me to sleep. How are you holding up, you must be needing to regenerate soon... it has been at least a full day since you last did?” Kathryn asked, rubbing the ache in her neck.

“It has been 35 hours since I last regenerated, I have gone as long as 72 hours before, however that was when I was part of the collective, as the Doctor is so fond of reminding me, my physiology is different now since I am an individual.” Seven looked at her Captain, and friend “I will be alright for a while longer, however I am starting to feel the effects” she admitted.

“Alright, lets rest up and reserve our energy while we can, I hope that the Doctor received our message and I am sure that Voyager will be on their way soon to get us.”

“You believe that they will be willing to take me back after I kidnapped you and bought you here, stealing a shuttle in the process” Seven asked, worried.

“I am, so they will to.” Kathryn said “Believe it or not Seven you aren’t the first crew member we have had that has done something against us, and we have always taken them back if they wanted to... however there will be a period of adjustment so their will be restrictions for a while, I hope you understand that.” Kathryn stated.

Seven nodded “I understand Captain, I do want to return to Voyager. I believe my thought process was in error when I removed you from Voyager and made the deal with the Yaksori Captain. Your place is on the Bridge and mine is... is...” she fell silent, unsure where her place now was among the Voyager crew, her collective now.

“Is with us” Kathryn finished for her. She stood up, feeling her joints and back scream at her from the movement, she began pacing back and forth slowly trying to get her joints to move properly and the aches to go away. “OK, lets for now assume Voyager is coming to get us, that they have received our message and are on their way to us... what can we do to make their rescue attempt easier and more likely to succeed?”

“We should stay together, that way they will be able to get us both with a single transport. As they are more easily able to detect my Borg signature then I expect they will be looking for my location. In the event that we are split up they are likely to find me first.”

“Agreed” Kathryn said, the pain starting to ease she was able to think a little clearer “If we are split up we need to look for a way to disable this vessel so that once we are aboard Voyager we will be able to give them ahead start from this vessel. I get the impression that they weren’t really trying to outrun us or show us their full capabilities when we faced them before. What else do you know about them from the Borg”

“You are correct in your assumption that their full capabilities were not shown, they simply wanted to test Voyagers, however their vessels are matched for speed and warp capability with ours, their weapons however are superior to those on Voyager, with the exception of the torpedoes.”

“OK, so we should also be looking for a way to disable their weapons systems, or at least get a better idea of the layout of their vessel so that Voyager can take them offline if needed.”

Seven nodded her agreement, watching the Captain pace, her hands on her hips in her customary command stance. Both women fell silent, neither one liking the scenario of them being separated, but at the same time remembering Krem’s threat of retribution for their Captain’s death, so it was likely that they would be.

The sound of footsteps alerted both of them to the presence of a visitor to their cell, a single Yaksori woman stood outside the force field holding a tray; she looked to her left and gave a small nod. With a shimmer the field dissipated and she stepped in, taking a few steps towards Kathryn, nervously eyeing Seven of Nine, she placed the tray on the bed space that Kathryn had recently vacated.

“Eat” She said, her voice as melodic as the male’s voices were gruff. She looked at both the women again before quickly turning to leave their cell. Her clothing, although made out of the same material as the men’s uniforms, was a simple tattered dress, a little more than rags being held together by stitches that had clearly been done at different times, indicating to Kathryn that these were repairs to the garment rather than anything else. Her hair was long but tied in to a messy low bun at the base of her neck with long strands coming lose, and her face, while covered in the same scales as the males, her skin had more of a blue tinge rather than a green one. Clearly this was a society dominated by the men and the women were treated as little more than slaves... at least on this ship anyway. That did not bode well for the treatment that Kathryn and Seven would receive as women, particularly ones that had been responsible for the death of their leader.

Kathryn walked over to the tray which had 2 small bowls on with what could only be described as gruel in them. Retrieving them both she handed 1 to Seven.

“Well at least it is something... and after eating Neelix’s leeola roots for a while it can’t be any worse than those so...” She said as she bought the bowl to her mouth, realising it was actually cold so maybe it could be worse. Tasting the cold substance and feeling it going down her throat as she tipped a small amount in confirmed her worst fears... there was something in the Delta Quadrant worse than those damn roots!

Quickly finishing the bowls of food off, both women again sat quietly contemplating their fate, and hoping that Voyager was just outside the porthole. They must have been sat for a while as Kathryn realised that her eyes had closed and she was in a familiar field, back home in Indiana, with her mother and her Voyager family around her, celebrating something, she wasn’t sure what, and she wasn’t able to find out as no sooner had she realised she had fallen asleep was she suddenly wrenched up from where she was sitting by a strong arm.

“Get up!” Shouted a gruff male voice, Kathryn’s sleep fogged mind took a moment to register that it was Krem shouting at her and no doubt that the hand wrapped tightly around her upper arm also belonged to him. Fear swept through her body; her eyes adjusting she saw 2 other Yaksori males holding Seven back against the wall, both with weapons in their hands.

“It is time for you to face your punishment for what you did to our Captain, Captain Janeway. You will pay for your crime against the Yaksori Security fleet.” Krem growled at her, pulling her roughly to her feet and dragging her out the door of their cell. Kathryn felt the prickle of the force field going back up against the back of her neck and knew there was no way that Seven was going to of had time to get to her. They were being split up. _Ok Kathryn, you need to find a way to help Voyager get you back, your life may depend on it now. Focus, don’t let them see that your frightened, stay strong. You are Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Star ship Voyager, and they are relying on you to get home._ She kept telling herself this over and over again like a mantra, trying to keep track of the turns she was taking before entering a large chamber, which was eerily empty except from a single chair in the middle. Kathryn’s blood ran cold, something about this reminded her of the Cardassian interrogation chambers that she had been in when she was serving with Admiral Paris, her then Captain, as a young Science officer. It struck her as strange, and not for the first time, how similar species are in their evolution despite being thousands of light years apart, she also realised how, other than the skin colouring, similar the Yaksori and Cardassian’s looked. _Ok Kathryn, you have survived this before, you can do it again. Take it one step at a time, one blow at a time. Voyager is coming._

Seven stood, alone, in the middle of the cell she had been sharing with Captain Janeway until a few minutes ago. She was shocked at what had happened and had been unable to move from the spot that the Yaksori men had held her in until she had forced her feet to move. So now she stood a few steps away, unsure of what to do now, other than wait and hope that Janeway would return alive.

Her joints hurt a little less since the food they had been given had entered her system, since taste was irrelevant to her she hadn’t minded it, and had quickly consumed it for the energy she so desperately needed. Her mind was also starting to work a little faster, again this was down to the nutrition that she had ingested, or possibly the shock starting to wear off. _I wish I had never asked the Doctor to remove my failsafe_ she thought absentmindedly, _then I would never have let my emotions over take my reason and we wouldn’t be here._

Seven started to pace back and forth, unable to keep from moving, pure emotion making her move, so many of them were swirling around her at the moment it was like her feet had a mind of their own. Guilt, fear, hatred of the Yaksori, worry for Kathryn, anger at herself all fought for prime position within her. Seven stilled when she heard footsteps again coming from the corridor outside. Again the same young Yaksori woman stood outside the force field, again nodding to have it lowered before entering the cell. She was clearly not surprised that Captain Janeway was missing from the cell where she had been a mere 25 minutes before.

“Where have they taken my Captain?” Seven asked, receiving no reply “I demand to know, where have they taken Captain Janeway. Answer me.... Comply” Her voice raising as the anger inside her started to win position.

The young Yaksori woman did no more that retrieve the tray and empty bowls, before turning and leaving the cell, Seven rushed to the doorway only to be struck by the force field that was quickly raised after the woman left. Stunned she stumbled back, the field had gotten stronger since she had last touched it, clearly they were expecting her to try something now that Janeway was gone. Suddenly saddened by her lack of ability to help, even with her Borg implants she could not break through the force field separating her from freedom and her friend, she slumped in to the corner of the cell, laying her arms over her knees and resting her head on them, she remained that way until she heard a familiar sound.

Looking up she saw the unmistakable blue of the transporter beam disappear from the wall of the corridor outside her cell, holding her breath she stood up and walked toward the doorway again. 2 Yaksori males that she had not seen before stood in front of her, 1 of them, who was clearly in charge, nodded to the left of him as the young woman had and the field dropped, Seven stepped back as both of them moved in to her cell.

                “Seven... Where is Captain Janeway?” One of the men asked, Seven thought that she recognised the voice but it did not match the face and her mind was slower than usual.

                “You know where she is!” She screamed

                “Seven...Seven of Nine... Annika!” the other man whispered harshly, snapping Seven in to realisation, these were not Yaksori men at all.

                “Chakotay...” He nodded, a smile broke out across Seven’s face as relief washed over her. “You came back for us, even after...” she broke off, worried when she saw the look on Chakotay’s face.

                “Of course we did” Broke in Mike Ayala, “Didn’t think we would leave you out here all alone did you?” He tried to joke sensing the tension between Chakotay and Seven.

                “Yes, well” Chakotay cleared his throat “Seven where is the Captain?”

                “They took her” was all she could say before she crumpled on the floor and sobbed.

                Chakotay and Mike looked at each other, both perplexed at the former drone now in tears on the floor at their feet. Chakotay instantly knew that there was a battle going on inside his former girlfriend, and that her system had not adjusted to the failsafe being removed. He crouched down next to her and put a hand on her arm, Seven looked up at him, tears clearly streaking her face.

                “Do you know where they have taken her?” He asked gently

                “No, only to face punishment for the death of Captain Yanish” She sniffed.

                Chakotay and Mike looked eyes, both of them feeling their hearts beat faster. This just became more than a simple rescue mission, Kathryn’s life was now in danger.


	23. Interrogated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay... Kids! Who'd have them when trying to write :)

**_ Kathryn _ **

                The first blow made her head spin, literally. The Yaksori certainly knew how to throw a punch, she would give them that. The force of it made her ears ring and her sight blur. Strapped to the metal chair, with her arms restrained behind her; Kathryn had no chance to defend herself, and the strain was making her shoulder ache, although that pain was quickly being replaced in her list of aches by the pounding on the left side of her head.

                “Why did you enter our space?” The large Yaksori male looming over her growled.

                “We told you when we entered it, we are just passing through on our way home” Kathryn managed to get out, her mind fogging with the pain.

                “A likely story” he spat in his face, and threw another punch at Kathryn’s right side of her head. _At least that evens it up_ Kathryn thought absentmindedly, as the throbbing in her temples paired up in pain, creating enough to make her sick to her stomach.

“You lied to gain entry to our space and your actions resulted in the death of one of our leaders.” Krem shouted from the dark depths of the room, Kathryn could not see him, he had quickly disappeared once she was restrained in the chair and striped to her tank top, exposing her arms and neck.

“It was never... never our in... intention to enter in to... in to a battle with you” Kathryn stuttered out, the pain now coursing its way through her upper body, a combination of the pain from her head and the pain from being restrained in the chair. _My body isn’t built for this anymore_ , the stray thought entered Kathryn’s mind as the memories of being in the Cardassian cells when she was captured by them before began to flood her. The cold of the floor she was left to lay on, the stinging heat of the lights blinding her sight, the pain that coursed through her body and she desperately tried to remember where her mind went to during that time.

“Your actions say otherwise” The interrogator hissed in her ear.

 _Justin... you thought of your life with Justin_ Kathryn’s mind intruded. “No I don’t want to think about him” Kathryn whispered to herself, her mind trying to shield her from the pain. She rolled her eyes in an attempt to clear her head and focus on what was going on around her, rather than wondering where the next blow was going to come from.

“You don’t want to think about the man whose life you took” The interrogator snarled, slapping her across the face as he did so.

“It wasn’t Captain Yaksori I was thinking about, however his death was unintentional and a dreadful accident. There is nothing that can be done to undo it now” Kathryn said, the slap across her face had actually snapped her back in to clarity and focused her mind, clearing any thought she had of the pain freely flowing through her body. She tasted a metal in her mouth, and flicked her tongue over her lower lip to find that it was split.

“Your words mean nothing” Krem had suddenly appeared, he twisted round behind Kathryn and tightened the restraints around her wrists, pulling her shoulders back in to an even more uncomfortable position and pushing her chest out towards the interrogator.

Kathryn allowed her mind to wander, back over the time in the holodeck with Chakotay and tried to remember the details of the surroundings, the sounds of the running water around them and the breeze on her skin, anything to push away the fear over taking her mind.

“Then what do you want from me...” Kathryn asked through gritted teeth.

“Retribution” Krem hissed again “for the death of our Captain, and there is only one way in which this will be achieved”

“My death” Kathryn said, forcing her voice to remain calm.

Krem nodded at Janeway, a sneer across his face, he had been waiting for the realisation that she would never leave this room alive again to sink in and watch the fear take hold. He was disappointed however to see that instead of fear on the humans face he saw steely determination and resolve.

Kathryn wasn’t going to let Krem see even a glimpse of her fear, instead her Captain’s calm kicked in and so did the mask she hid it behind. Strangely Kathryn didn’t need to try too hard to keep her Captain’s mask up, she did now feel calm. When she became Captain, hell when she started her life in Starfleet, she had known that more than likely she would find herself in this situation one day, she had hoped that she would be a little closer to home than the Delta Quadrant, but she knew her crew, knew her Voyager family would do what they could to get her back home to them.

 _Chakotay and Tuvok will be coming soon, they are probably here even now_ Kathryn thought, allowing the calm that the thought gave her wash over her again. Janeway stared Krem in the eyes, not blinking, allowing him to see her determination and that she wasn’t going to cower as he wanted.

“Very well Captain, have it your way then” Krem spat, he nodded to the male interrogating her, with that he grabbed Kathryn by her shoulders and lifted her from her chair, the movement sent spears of pain through Kathryn’s body and she was sure that her shoulder’s were being pushed together beyond their natural limit. Her sharp breath in was the only sound she made to the pain currently flowing through her.

The Yaksori dragged her over to an open space within the room, he then reached up and pulled a hook from the ceiling, Kathryn ideally thought that it looked like an antique butchers hook that she had seen in some of her old holo-novels, the thought made a smile flash across her lips, it was an absurd thought but at least the pain was forgotten for a moment. As the interrogator lowered the hook with one hand he pulled on Kathryn’s restrained wrists with the other, hooking the bindings over the hook, Kathryn could feel the cold metal against her skin, it was cold enough for it to feel like it was burning her hot flesh.

Krem entered her line of vision as the other man stepped back, apparently awaiting further instruction to carry out. Now in the standing position, hanging from the hook as she was, Kathryn was able to see that the room was larger than she had initially thought, it was closer to the size of Voyagers holodeck rather than the size of the cell she had been in with Seven that she had originally thought. From where she was Kathryn was able to see that in addition to the chair where she was previously sat there was a wall of instruments that would have put the Hirogen to shame. Kathryn felt a shiver travel down her spine at the memory of the Hirogen playing holographic hunting games with her crew a few years before.

Krem turned and spoke quietly to the other man before disappearing back to the shadows. “You don’t want to see his work up close” Kathryn said, mocking Krem, her comment earned a blow to the ribs, she wasn’t sure that was used but it felt heavy, like the full weight of the interrogator hitting her. The air in her lungs left her quickly causing her to grunt in response.

“Don’t you speak” Kathryn asked, addressing her interrogator.

“Only when those speaking to me are worthy of my time” came the response through gritted teeth, closely followed by the feel of cold metal running over her chest and shoulders, Kathryn resisted the urge to shudder.

Her interrogator laughed cruelly at the response Kathryn’s body had betrayed her by revealing. She closed her eyes, trying to find her safe place inside her mind, trying to steal herself from the pain she knew would soon by inflicted on her. The image of Chakotay’s face came in to her mind, smiling as they had enjoyed their time on the Bridge in a rare quiet moment of jovial banter with Tom Paris and Harry Kim, smiling at a joke that Tuvok obviously didn’t get. A small smile played across Kathryn’s lips at the memory, just as she felt the blade of a weapon that her interrogator had acquired slice through the skin on her right shoulder almost as easily as if her skin was warm butter at her mother’s house.

The memory of the last time Kathryn had seen her mother came in to her mind, the smell of the warm homemade bread and fresh coffee, the warmth of her mother’s voice as they spoke about Kathryn’s new ship, Voyager, and what her sister, Pheobe’s, latest art piece was becoming. Again the slicing pain came, this time across her collar bone. Kathryn’s mind registered the pain on some level but the memory of her mother helped to keep her need to cry out become tempered for a moment.

“You’re stronger than I first believed, Captain” Krem’s voice came in to Kathryn’s mind and shattered her illusion of being with her mother rather than in this cold dark chamber at the mercy of these men.

“I have already told you the truth, I don’t know what you believe torturing me will do” Kathryn said, her voice clear and calm, she was able to ignore the dull aching of the cuts to her upper body, she had ignored far worse before.

Krem simply snorted, and then fell silent again. Kathryn turned her attention back to the Yaksori man in front of her. “Do you expect me to beg for you to stop... tell you that your hurting me?” Kathryn asked, meeting his eyes

Her interrogator moved out of her immediate line of sight to the wall of weapons Kathryn guessed. From where she was suspended Kathryn could just make out the doorway, there was a faint light leaking through the gap in the middle and under the door, suggesting that they were the older style doors that needed a door button to activate them, similar to those the Kirk had on his famous Enterprise. There was shadows moving on the other side of the door, the light was being blocked out and then whatever the obstruction was moved away again. Before Kathryn could have any idea of what was going on her interrogator returned blocking her view. Kathryn’s blood went cold when she saw that in his hand he carried a weapon similar to a Klingon Bat’leth and in the other a rather mean looking knife.

He moved the knife blade over her exposed chest, the metal stung as it moved over the already cut flesh, making her flinch and she hissed in pain. Kathryn saw a sneer cross the Yaksori’s as he moved the knife through the material of her top, exposing her belly and bra. _Thank god it’s nothing revealing_ she thought, thankfully she had chosen to wear the standard Starfleet t-shirt bra listed as comfortable yet practical. Kathryn refused to let her embarrassment show on her face, she had not always been confident in her own skin, however, over the past few years she had decided that this was the body she had been given so she would make the best of it, so she had started to work out more on the holodeck, fighting Klingon’s and Hirogen. _I am going to have to program a few Yaksori to beat when I get back to Voyager_ she thought.

The Yaksori in charge of the knife leaned forward and sniffed at Kathryn’s now exposed skin, she had to swallow the shudder and disgust that action bought up to her, not even the Cardassian had done that, and they were known for their interrogation tactics throughout the Federation. He chucked to himself, clearly impressed with the job he was doing. He stepped back and was about to begin his work again when the doors to the room slid open, 3 figures were silhouetted against the blinding light that now flooded the dark room.

2 Yaksori makes started to enter, between them slumped an unconscious Seven of Nine.

“Seven...” Kathryn’s words died in her mouth.


	24. Home again?

**_ Chakotay/Seven _ **

                Seven had the idea of using her to look like a prisoner going to be interrogated in order for them to gain access to the room where Kathryn was most likely to me. She had heard Krem saying that she was to be tried for her crimes against their ship and the Yaksori Security system, so it was most likely that she was being ‘questioned’ by force.

                Ayala and Chakotay had ‘dragged’ her up the corridor in the direction Kathryn had been taken, luckily there was no one else on route until they reached the central desk of the holding cells, Chakotay had stepped forward to speak to the guard on duty.

                “Captain wants this one tried as well, apparently the other one isn’t talking” He grumbled at the guard, “Where did they take her?”

                “Interrogation room 2” he answered, not looking up from his console, “Down the corridor to the left”

                Not wanting to risk further interaction with the guard Chakotay simply returned to his position next to Seven and started to walk down the corridor with her and Mike. Interrogation room 2 was easy enough to find and there was no one standing outside. The men looked at each other over Seven, who was slumped between them from lack of energy as she hadn’t regenerated for too long now, and to make her look more like the prisoner she was meant to be. Mike thumbed the control panel and the doors slid open.

                Once the doors were fully opened they revealed a dark room, as their eyes started to adjust to the light levels Chakotay was able to make out the empty chair in the centre of the room, the restraints around it on the floor and hanging limply from the arm rest at the back, looking further in to the room he was able to see the outline of 2 figures together and one hidden off to the side. Looking back at the 2 figures he could see that one was suspended by their arms from the ceiling on a long chain, their feet were barely touching the floor. As his eyes adjusted fully he could make out the features on the suspended person who was facing him.

                “Kathryn” he whispered, his voice barely reaching his own ears let alone anyone elses. Seeing the woman he had served with for 7 years and who he had cared for and loved since the moment he had come face to face with her on the Bridge of the ship he now called home, suspended with her torso exposed, cuts on her face and chest open and bleeding, bruising starting to take shape over her delicate yet determined features, made his resolve to make these people pay, particularly the 2 men in this room.

_Kathryn’s eyes adjusted back to the darkness quickly, she was used to being in this dark now. She was able to make out the forms of the 2 men either side of Seven now. There was something different about them, the way that they were treating Seven was wrong, compared to the other Yaksori she had seen around the ship, and there was also something more familiar about them to her._

_Before Kathryn could figure out why there was something familiar, the man on the right of Seven stepped towards her and the interrogator._

_“What are you doing here?” Krem asked from somewhere behind her_

_“We were told that this female wasn’t being cooperative and that you wanted this one” the male on the left replied, indicating to Seven._

_“By who, I never sent any...” before Krem could finish his sentence the male to the right threw himself at Krem, winding him and sending him backwards against the bulkhead behind him._

_The interrogator turned from Kathryn to see what the commotion was, and was met by the fist of the man on the left of Seven, making him stumble at the unexpected attack, however he quickly regained his footing and lunched forward tackling the man to the floor, effectively straddling him with the knife still in his hand, aiming it for any area of vulnerability._

_Kathryn was still hung from the hook and chain by her wrists, however realising in the fighting that was going on she could use it as an opportunity to get free from her bonds, she started to swing back and forth attempting to get enough energy in her weakened body to kick out her legs and free her arms from the hook. As she started to move she noticed that Seven was no longer stood where the 2 Yaksori men had left her, perhaps she wasn’t as incapacitated as she had led them to believe._

_Seven had taken the opportunity to move after the fighting had started between Chakotay and Ayala and the 2 Yaksori men in the room. Due to Seven’s Borg implants she was able to see as well in the dark as she was in daylight, surveying the room quickly she saw that Captain Janeway was defenceless and suspended from a chain hanging from the ceiling of the chamber. Moving to the sides of the room, in the shadows where no one else would see her, she moved across and retrieved another knife from the wall before moving across to Janeway, who was starting to swing back and forth in her apparent attempt to get free. Seven moved quickly to the side of her and placed her hand on her Captain’s shoulder, startling the older woman._

_“Do not worry Captain” She said softly, “I have a knife with which I can free your arms from the ties”. Janeway nodded, her eyes fixed on the fighting continuing around her. Suddenly her arms fell free and she landed heavily on the deck, her body sore from the treatment it had received since she was bought onboard by Seven countless hours ago._

_“Thank you” Janeway breathed as she rubbed her wrists trying to get blood flow back in to them and feeling to her hands in case she had to defend herself. Kathryn surveyed the room before turning to Seven again, “Am I to assume that the 2 gentlemen you came in with are on our side?” She asked_

_“Correct Captain, they are Lt. Ayala and Commander Chakotay, I believe that they have been surgically altered to look like Yaksori” Seven replied, her tone cool._

_“Then I suggest we help them and get out of here” Kathryn replied, stumbling to her feet. Seven nodded in response and moved to help Janeway up, handing her the knife that she had in her hand before retrieving another weapon from the wall, this one looked more like an old earth hunting knife with a much wider blade which was serrated on one side._

_Janeway indicated for Seven to help with Krem, she couldn’t tell which of her Crew was fighting with him , and currently had him pinned against the wall, but taking on the man who had inflicted the wounds on her was personal so she stepped forward towards the interrogator, still straddling the other man, both fighting for control over the knife._

_Janeway stepped behind him and placed the blade of the knife Seven had given her under the Yaksori’s chin. “Don’t” was all Janeway hissed, mustering as much control and command in her voice as possible. The Yaksori froze and dropped the knife._

_“Thank you Captain” Mike Ayala wheezed_

_“Retrieve the knife our friend has just given up, Mr Ayala” Kathryn said recognising one of her former Marquis crew members. She knew Chakotay would have asked for him, after all Mike had been Chakotay’s right hand man during their time in the Marquis together._

_Mike reached across and picked up the knife, and slid out from under his attacker, and rose to his feet._

_“Are you alright Captain?” He asked, noticing for the first time the state of undress and the injuries that she had sustained._

_“Nothing the Doctor can’t fix” Janeway replied, her voice cold, turning her attention back to her interrogator she said “Now I think it is time you sat in that chair” making him stand, both Mike and her keeping their weapons trained on him. The man grumbled but did as he was commanded, thumping down on to the chair that Kathryn had first been strapped to. Retrieving the restraints from the back of the chair, Mike strapped the man in, securing him to the spot._

_Movement out of the corner of her eye caught Kathryn’s attention as Krem was thrown to the floor by Seven of Nine, the man Kathryn now knew was Chakotay was leaning against the bulkhead holding his side and breathing heavily. He had obviously sustained some injuries in his fight with the new Yaksori Captain. Kathryn looked to Mike Ayala, silently asking if he was in control of the interrogator, Mike nodded and moved his head toward Chakotay and Seven._

_Kathryn reached them both faster than she thought she could go. Placing a hand on Chakotays shoulder, an action she had done countless times over the years, she addressed Seven who had Krem in an arm lock on the floor. “Are you alright?”_

_“I am fine Captain, however Commander Chakotay needs the Doctors attention, as do you” She replied. Kathryn couldn’t help but notice her use of Chakotay’s rank._

_“Is Voyager close by?” Kathryn asked turning to Chakotay, who nodded._

_“What do you want to do with our friends here Captain?” Mike asked coming from behind her_

_“Nothing, leave them here, I think they have learned to leave Voyager and her crew alone for now” Kathryn snapped looking at Krem, anger and determination in her eyes._

_“You may pass through our space and you shall be left in peace” Krem grumbled, defeated._

_“Contact Voyager and have them transport us all directly to Sickbay” Janeway ordered Ayala, only now allowing her hand to leave Chakotay’s shoulder. Within moments the familiar sound and tingle of transport enveloped them._

_As soon as the transport was completed Kathryn collapsed to the floor of Voyager’s sickbay, the adrenaline that had fuelled her before leaving her body as the toll the experience and injuries had taken on her took over._

_“Get the Captain on to the bio bed” The EMH ordered, he had been alerted to the away teams arrival as soon as Mike had requested transport to Sickbay, and having discharged B’Elanna and Miral to their quarters he had freed up all available space to treat them._

_Mike picked the Captain up and carried her to the Surgical bay’s bed, as the Doctor and Chakotay moved to the side of it. Chakotay looked over Kathryn’s face as the Bio bed monitor came round, covering her beaten body._

_The EMH looked at the readings briefly before turning to the other people in the room. “She has multiple rib fractures, and some internal bleeding, I will need to perform surgery. However I need to see to your injuries first, Commander, Lt please take a bed each, Seven I will scan you now.”_

_The EMH quickly got to work on Seven and Mike, quickly releasing them from Sickbay with orders to rest for the next 48 hours, 36 of those hours Seven was to regenerate before returning to Sickbay for the Doctor to run more in-depth scans of her neural chemistry after her failsafe had been removed, the whole thing that had caused this situation in the first place, and for Mike to return in a few hours to have his Yaksori disguise removed._

_Chakotay had been examined and found to have bruised ribs which he had refused to have healed until the EMH had treated Kathryn, he was also refusing the leave her side._

_Knowing that trying to make the Commander leave, both the Captain and the Commander, refused to be apart from the other when something was seriously wrong with the other, unless the ship was in immediate danger, the Doctor had learned to use them rather than go against them._

_“Commander please can you pass the hypo-spray” Chakotay turned and passed the hologram the preloaded instrument, which he then placed on Kathryn’s neck and administered, the hiss of the spray was the only sound heard in the bay. The Doctor then ran his eyes over the monitoring screen, and nodded. “The bleeding has started to slow, I will be able to treat the rest of her injures now”. Chakotay moved to her bedside and held on to Kathryn’s left hand._

_He turned and retrieved the Osteo-regenerator from the instrument tray behind him, pressing the control panel on the monitor the arms covering Kathryn’s battered body retracted back in to the sides of the bed. Chakotay’s breath hitched at the sight of Kathryn’s injuries in the light of the surgical bay, the bruising seemed more prominent and the slice from the knife across her chest and shoulder looked angry and still wept._

_The Doctor ran the regenerator over where Kathryn’s broken ribs were, monitoring the progress with his tri-corder that he held in his right hand. Once he was satisfied he placed the instruments back on the tray, never one to leave his tools out of place. Selecting the dermal regenerator he began the process of healing Kathryn’s more obvious injuries. First running over the angry knife wound, watching as the skin knitted back together and returned to its normal pale tones again, the EMH then turned his attention to the bruising, after adjusting a setting on the regenerator, again running it over her torso first and then her face. After 15 minutes of work, Kathryn looked like herself again and Chakotay let out a breath he had been holding while the Doctor worked, never once releasing her hand._

_Once the Doctor was satisfied that the Captain was well again, only requiring rest, he turned his attention back to Chakotay. “She is just sleeping now Commander, something which I am always telling her to do” He joked, “Now I need to treat your injuries”_

_Chakotay looked up at the hologram and nodded. Releasing Kathryn’s hand gently he then moved over to the nearest Bio Bed, not wanting to be far from her side. He sat on the edge of the bed and removed the Yaksori clothing Tuvok had provided him with before he had left, feeling relief as the heavy fabric left his frame. The bruising from his ribs was evident and extended across the majority of his stomach from his fight with Krem. He winced at the movements removing his clothing._

_“Please lay down Commander, it will be easier to treat you. I will also remove the cosmetic changes, I expect you intend to stay until the Captain wakes up and I doubt she will want to see a Yaksori looking at her given her experience.” The EMH was trying to lighten to mood as he was aware of the worry that the Commander had for Kathryn, he was also aware that they have recently started to explore a deeper relationship from his conversations with Seven after she and Chakotay had ended their romantic relationship._

_“You’re probably right Doctor” Chakotay said as he lay back. The hologram repeated his actions on the bruising over Chakotays ribs and stomach. The pain that was left by the injuries started to subside but the dull ache from them remained._

_“Before I remove the cosmetic work I am going to give you a mild analgesic for the pain in your ribs, it should help with the discomfort.” The EMH said, reading the obvious pain on the Commanders face._

_After another 20 minutes Chakotay again looked like himself again and was allowed to return to the Captain’s side. The Doctor had given him a chair to sit on as he was aware that the Commander was still uncomfortable and needed to rest, if he thought that Chakotay would leave, the Doctor would have released him to his quarters, but he knew that the Commander wouldn’t go, leaving him instructions to activate him as soon as the Captain awoke, for the first time in 76 hours the EMH deactivated his program._

_The silence now in Sickbay, with the acceptation of the monitors bleeping, was the first peace that the Commander had experienced since he had last seen Kathryn in her Ready Room to invite her to dinner, before Seven had kidnapped her and handed her over to the Yaksori. Anger started to bubble inside Chakotay again. Seven was still something that had to be dealt with, but he decided that he would have to speak to Kathryn about it all before they made a decision together, both as the affected parties and as the Commander and Captain on Voyager._

_Kathryn awoke an hour after the Doctor had deactivated his program. As the haze of sleep started to lift she was aware that she was in Sickbay and that there was someone next to her. She turned her head to see Chakotay with his head resting over her hand, sleeping lightly. She tried to move, trying to see him better without disturbing him, but the slight movement was enough to rouse him. He looked up at her sleepily and smiled, she smiled back in return._

_“You look like yourself again, Commander” Kathryn joked._

_“So do you, Captain” He replied, straightening up, “You gave us quite a scare when we got back” He said, suddenly serious again._

_“Scared myself too a little... thanks for coming after me” Kathryn said, serious herself._

_“You know I always will, the crew wouldn’t let me know, and neither would my heart.”  At his words, Kathryn tightened her hand around his and smiled again._

_“Where is the Doctor?” She asked_

_“He deactivated himself once he had treated you and me, he has released Mike and Seven for a few hours, they have to come back soon to be checked again, and Mike still looks Yaksori so that needs to be corrected, but the Doctor has been online for 76 hours and needed a break. Do you want me to reactive him, he wanted to be notified when you woke up?” Chakotay asked._

_“No, I would rather spend some time with you for a little while. I am feeling fine again, better than I have in a long while actually.” She said, looking at Chakotay, “How long was I gone?”_

_“About 48 hours in total, I knew you had gone after a few minutes, I was waiting for you outside your Ready Room and you were taking too long, even for you” He smiled at her, “ So I went back in and you were gone. Tuvok and I raised the alarm and the whole crew started to search the ship. I realised that Seven had something to do with it when I went to speak to her, she was so angry and admitted the whole thing before transporting herself and you on to the Flyer and took off to the Yaksori Vessel, leaving behind a virus that temporarily crippled the Warp core. There was nothing that anyone, even B’Elanna could do until it had run its course” Chakotay informed Kathryn. He then relayed the rest of the story to her, and she did the same with her experience of it, omitting the details of the interrogating she had received, he had seen the result of it and she didn’t want to burden him with the knowledge of the details, more had been done to her than she had realised while she was keeping her mind on Phoebe and Chakotay._

_“OK I think it is time to let the Doctor know I am awake, we can deal with Seven once she has regenerated and we have got some proper sleep.” Kathryn said._

_Chakotay nodded “Computer activate EMH”_

_A couple of hours later Kathryn found herself back in her quarters, Chakotay at her side. It felt strange and comforting to be in the familiar surroundings after everything that had happened._

_The Doctor had told them both to rest for at least the next 48 hours, which was a long time for Kathryn, who never really liked not being on the Bridge or getting her hands dirty with her crew, but at the same time she knew that Tuvok had things in hand and she had requested a ships update at the end of each day so she could keep up to date._

_“Do you want something to eat?” Chakotay asked, moving to her replicator._

_“Actually I am a little hungry, I will have the same as you.” She replied, settling herself on the sofa under the windows, one of her favourite places in her quarters, “And a coffee”_

_Chakotay rolled his eyes, ordering her coffee, a tea for him and 2 portions of Neelix’s tomato pasta soup he knew Kathryn preferred, and warm bread. Moving to join Kathryn on the sofa he placed the food down on the table in front of them, “I used my rations for this, after all I owe you dinner” He said smiling at her as he passed her coffee._

_She held the cup with both hands and inhaled the smell, closing her eyes in her usual manner whenever she had a fresh coffee. “Sometimes I think you love coffee more than anything in the universe Kathryn” Chakotay said._

_“Like I have said before, it is the finest organic suspension ever devised... I beat the Borg with it” She said staring off in to the unknown space outside her window, “And now we have to decide what to do with another Borg with it” she sighed,_

_“We don’t have to decide right now, we should sleep on it all and talk about it once we are rested.” Chakotay countered. Kathryn drank some of her coffee and nodded, “OK, you’re right. So tell me about B’Elanna and the baby” Kathryn said, turning the subject to something more light._

_They spent the next few hours in easy, comfortable conversation while eating their dinner and enjoying the simplicity of each other’s company. “I think we had better turn in for the night Chakotay, the Doctor wanted us to rest after all” Kathryn said with a flirty smile on her face._

_“He did, do you want me to meet you for breakfast in the morning?” Chakotay asked._

_“That would be lovely, but I wasn’t asking you to leave...” She let the sentence hang between them before moving towards the door to her bedroom, Chakotay stood and followed her in, she let him pull her in to his arms, and she rested her head against his chest, hearing his heart beating under her ear. “I don’t know how much longer I could have survived if you hadn’t come after me” She admitted, lifting her head to look at his face._

_“You will never have to worry about me not coming after you Kathryn, I will do everything I can to always stay by your side.” He replied before lightly planting a kiss on her lips, feeling her relax in to him. “Come on, it is time to rest... Doctors orders, Captain” they smiled, and settled in to her bed wrapped in each others arms as sleep claimed them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is another chapter after this one... we still have a Borg to deal with.


	25. Disipline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing with the Borg issue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this has taken a while, I couldnt decide what to do with Seven of Nine

_2 days after Chakotay rescued the Captain and Seven of Nine from the Yaksori vessel, Voyager finally left their space. The 48 hours had been laced with underlying tension as everyone onboard couldn’t get out of the Yaksori territory fast enough. The Warp engines had been operating at peak efficiency since the Engineering crew had refined the Ores and dilithium that had been collected from the planet, and now that the remaining strands of Seven’s Borg code had been purged from the system there was nothing stopping them._

_Kathryn had, surprisingly, given in to the Doctors request that she have 2 days off duty, and she had only requested end of day updates from Tuvok who was still in command as Chakotay had refused to leave her side. He said it was at the request of the Doctor to make sure she didn’t over do it or return to duty sooner than stated, Kathryn believed that it was more that he didn’t want to let her out of his sight again, not that she minded._

_They had spent the majority of their time together relaxing in Kathryn’s bed and having lazy meals together in her living area. They had talked about anything and everything, except what had happened onboard the Yaksori vessel, and what Kathryn was going to do about Seven. She had thought about it while Chakotay slept next to her. Her mind had turned over every scenario in her mind, trying to reason Seven’s actions and thinking in her head. What had led a woman who she thought she knew and considered almost a daughter betrays her in the way that she had? Was it all over the man sleeping next to her? Was there something deeper more sinister at play? Kathryn had considered letting Seven off without any real punishment and putting it all down to an imbalance in the ex-drones brain chemistry, but that bought up another matter of what to do with the EMH, after all he performed the surgery that caused the imbalance in the first place, and he did not tell either of the members of the Command team. What could you do with a hologram, regardless of the fact that he is their CMO and has autonomy over all medical decisions onboard._

_On the 2 nd night of thinking about all of this, Kathryn had given up trying to quiet her thoughts and had slipped out of bed, slipping her robe on over her naked body she padded her way to her replicator and ordered a cup of coffee before sitting on her sofa under the viewport. She pulled the blanket over her legs and hugged her cup to her chest. Her left hand ran over the Native American design of the blanket, letting her mind run over the problem again and again. Sitting staring at the unfamiliar stars eased her troubled mind. Kathryn wasn’t sure how long she had sat there before she felt warm hands slide over her shoulders, making her start._

_“Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you, I woke up and you were missing.” Chakotay soothed_

_Kathryn smiled “Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. What time is it?”_

_“A little before 0600. We have some time before we are due on the Bridge at 0800” Chakotay walked over to the replicator, Kathryn watched as him move with ease in her quarters, appreciating the toned muscles of his back and buttocks. “Would you like a refill Kathryn?”_

_“Hmm...Oh yes, please” Kathryn blushed at being caught ogling Chakotay, but then quickly remembered that is was OK to be ogling her First Officer now and in the privacy of her quarters. He smiled as he returned to her side with her coffee and his tea._

_“Want to talk about why you couldn’t sleep?” He asked gently._

_“It’s this whole Seven of Nine thing... Oh Chakotay I just don’t know what to do.” She sighed running her fingers through her hair; she reached for her coffee that Chakotay was holding out to her. “It seems that no matter what I do to punish her nothing gets through to her, and now what am I meant to do over something as serious as kidnapping the Captain, and putting the ship in danger with her little computer virus.” She sighed again; Chakotay rested his free hand on her knee._

_“Well we got the Captain back, and Voyager is working at peak efficiency, and being the Captain you can choose to do, or not do, anything.”_

_“Not very helpful Chakotay.” She smiled, touched by his attempt to lighten his mood._

_He returned her smile, but remained silent for a few moments, letting Kathryn gather her thoughts. “Whatever you decide Kathryn, you know I will stand by your side, but if you want my opinion on it all then I am happy to give you it, after all you weren’t the only one going through all of it. It was hell for me, well all of us who love you to know that you were in danger and there was nothing that we could do.” He paused and Kathryn turned to look at him, “I know we have been in more than our fair share of dangerous situations, but that has always been when we have been together against a common enemy... the Kazon, Vadians, Hirogen and the Borg, but we have been one unit, one ship, under your guidance, but this time, it was one of our own who was the cause of that danger”_

_“Oh” Kathryn turned and snuggled in to him, feeling his warmth and trying to comfort him against the demons he was fighting_

_“It’s my job to keep you safe, and it was my actions that caused this whole mess in the first place.” He said, staring in the empty spaces between the stars. Kathryn turned in to him more, wrapping an arm around his waist._

_“I am safe. You make me feel safe. I told you once that I couldn’t imagine a day without you, and I still can’t” She said softly, trying to fight back the emotion fighting in her chest “ If you hadn’t come to find me, then...” The possibilities of what might have been flooded her mind and stole her voice and making her arm tighten around Chakotay._

_“I will always come and find you. Do you want to talk about something else. I am sure that the answer will come to you when you need it and you talk to Seven... and the Doctor”_

_“Can we just not talk for a bit. I have a feeling today is going to be a long day and I am only on my 2 nd coffee” She chuckled_

_“How many coffees do you think this day will be?” He asked smiling_

_“It feels like a 6 coffee day at least” She laughed_

_They eased in to a comfortable silence, drinking their respective drinks and mentally preparing to face the day as the Captain and Commander of Voyager._

_0800 rolled around too soon for Kathryn’s liking, she could of happily stayed with Chakotay for the rest of the day if her duty had allowed it, but now she was sat at her desk in her Ready Room, staring at the stack of PADDs that had been waiting for her, and her 3 rd cup of coffee was sat steaming next to them. She had left Chakotay on the Bridge, he was also catching up on the reports that he hadn’t received while he had been looking after her._

_As the Captain, Janeway knew what she had to do with Seven, but as Kathryn she was at war with herself, but there was also Seven’s tendency to not follow through with whatever punishment and that Voyager needed her unique abilities in order to survive out in the Delta Quadrant._

_Picking up the latest stellacartography report hoping to find an interesting phenomenon or nebula to help quiet her mind, but it after 15 minutes of reading the same sentence and nothing going in she threw it back down with a sigh._

_“Janeway to Chakotay, Commander could you join me in the Ready Room when you have a moment” She said tapping her Comm. badge._

_“I will be right there Captain” True to his word, he was sat down in front of her within 2 minutes, he smiled at her, sensing the tension surrounding her. “You’re putting off calling her, aren’t you?”_

_“Is it that obvious?” She gave him a lopsided smile that she only saved for him._

_“Only to me, to the rest of the Bridge crew you are just finding your feet again after a few tougher than normal days... well maybe Tuvok has an idea too, but only because he is Vulcan” Chakotay joked._

_“I just haven’t decided what I am going to do. Would you stay and talk to her with me, I think your insight in to everything. I am considering having the Doctor here too, to get his opinion as well, but that might be too much” Chakotay frowned, he wasn’t used to seeing Captain Janeway so undecided, she was usually a calm, confident and fearless leader when she was on duty, once the command mask came off at the end of her duty shift that is when Kathryn second guessed her decisions and was unsure. He leaned forward and took her hand, gently running his thumb over her knuckles._

_“Always... and I think it is a good idea to ask the Doctor to be here, he will be able to tell you how impaired her judgement was because of her failsafe being removed and her failure to regenerate properly.”_

_Kathryn nodded, “Thank you Chakotay” Her hand reached for her Comm. Badge and she opened a channel._

_30 minutes later the Doctor and Seven of Nine were sitting on the sofa under the viewport in her Ready Room with Chakotay by her side. Kathryn shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable and unsure why. She had spoken to Seven while they were in their cell on the Yaksori vessel, but this was somehow different, even though she was on her own ship and in command again._

_“Captain, I have completed my scans of Seven’s brain now that she is back onboard, and I am happy to report that her chemical imbalance has been returned to normal levels after 30 hours of regeneration.” The Doctor started._

_“I am happy to hear that Doctor” Janeway replied, Chakotay noted that the command mask was fully in place._

_“I am able to return to duty again Captain” Seven broke in_

_“Well I am not sure that would be the best idea right now Seven, given your actions there are members of the crew who are not comfortable with your presence onboard currently, and to be honest I don’t blame them” Chakotay said, straightening his back, his arm lightly brushing Kathryn’s, making her aware that he was right by her side, as always._

_“Thank you Commander, I am aware of people’s opinions of me, however they have remained unchanged during my time on Voyager, so I believe that their current feelings are irrelevant” Seven stated her tone cold and hard._

_“I think you would be surprised Seven, as I told you when we were in that cell, you will always have a home on Voyager” Janeway paused “However there will be consequences for your recent actions”_

_“Captain, I must protest, Seven was not in her right mind when those actions occurred” The EMH chimed in, his tone firm and full of the confidence he had found over the last 7 years since he had been activated._

_Janeway held her hand up to halt his protest, “I am aware of that Doctor, which is why we are having this discussion here rather than in the brig” Chakotay had to hide the smile that was forming as he heard the Kathryn Janeway that had first captured his heart on the Bridge the other side of the bulkhead they now sat opposite.”Seven, as the Doctor has just reiterated, you were not in your right mind and therefore not fully in control of your actions” She paused, “However, you still took actions which not only endangered yourself and me but also this ship and her crew, this can not be ignored... or justified”_

_“I understand Captain” Seven said, eyeing Janeway carefully_

_“Your unique abilities are valuable to Voyager and I have already told you that your home will always be with this crew, many of whom you will have to face and regain the trust of after recent events, therefore you will be restricted to the Cargo bay and the Astrometrics lab, you will have no computer access unless you are given my direct authorisation, and this will be until I am satisfied that you are no longer any threat to this ship”_

_Seven nodded “Agreed Captain”_

_Janeway turned to the Doctor “Doctor, this situation arose because you failed to notify the Command team of a life changing surgery that you were performing, or the possible consequences of that surgery should your medical advice not be followed. As a result of this, any procedures that are not life saving or medically required should be discussed with myself and Commander Chakotay. Is that clear?” Her voice was as cold as ice, she was in no mood to here the holograms arrogance._

_“A reasonable request Captain” The EMH said, momentarily stunning both Janeway and Chakotay. He had obviously been rethinking his actions that had led them all here._

_“Well if everyone is agreed, Dismissed” Janeway said_

_As they all rose from their seats Seven spoke up “Captain, Commander, I would like a moment with you both... in Private please” she said indicating to the Doctor that he was free to leave._

_Chakotay looked at Kathryn, who nodded but remained standing, she felt rather than saw Chakotay inch closer to her, the heat of his body calming her. Kathryn wasn’t expecting this to be a pleasant conversation but it was one that she had expected from the ex-drone._

_“Captain, I wanted to explain myself to both yourself and to Commander Chakotay. While I agree with the Doctors opinion that I was not entirely in control of my actions, I believe that my feelings of jealousy fuelled them, leading me to take illogical actions” Seven stated, if Kathryn didn’t know any better she would have said that the blonde looked nervous._

_“Why were you jealous Seven? You knew that my relationship with the Captain was close and that I care for her. You even encouraged me to speak to her about my feelings towards her.” Chakotay asked_

_“I always believed you would be rejected by her and would ultimately peruse a deeper relationship with me.” The Borg stated matter of factly._

_“And you would have been happy being my second choice?” Chakotay asked, curious_

_“Yes”_

_Kathryn’s heart went out to the woman, she had been right in her assumption that Kathryn would have rejected Chakotay, as she had done on previous occasions when he had got to close to the unspoken connection between them that had held their friendship together for all these years. What Kathryn couldn’t understand is why Seven saw herself as only worth second best to someone._

_“There are any number of men aboard this ship who would see you as I see Kathryn, you shouldn’t sell yourself short Seven” Chakotay said, he didn’t look at Kathryn but could feel her shifting her weight, clearly uncomfortable to have something so personal shared with someone else, even if Seven wasn’t an official member of the crew with a rank she was certainly one of the Voyager family._

_Seven straightened her back, “After the events of the last few days I do not believe that to be true, however I thank you for saying so... Commander” She still could only use Chakotay’s rank when speaking to him, it made her uncomfortable to not do so now that their romantic relationship was over._

_“Seven” Kathryn interjected “The rest of the crew don’t know that our relationship has changed recently, and for the moment we would like to keep it that way.”_

_“Many of the crew already believe that you and Commander Chakotay are involved in a romantic relationship and have been for sometime, many did not believe that we were involved... all be it for a short time” Seven said_

_Kathryn was surprised at her words, Chakotay simple smiled, he knew the rumours surrounding himself and the Captain, being slightly closer to the crew than she was he often heard the whispers long before she did, in fact he had spent many of their weekly dinners telling her the latest gossip onboard... he had left out the rumours around the 2 of them though._

_“Thank you Seven. Is that everything?” Kathryn asked regaining her composure_

_“Yes Captain, and again I am sorry for the trouble I have caused to both you and to Voyager. It will not happen in future”_

_Janeway nodded, “Dismissed”_

_As Seven left the Ready Room, Kathryn let out a breath that she hadn’t realised she had been holding since the ex-drone had asked to speak to them privately. Chakotay placed his hand on her shoulder as a silent show of support, Kathryn turned to face him and looked him in the eye._

_“Well I don’t know what to make of that little conversation, but it sounds like she is over whatever it was that was upsetting her about the end of your little entanglement” She gave him one of her trademark lopsided smiles, letting him know that the mood had lightened now that the official Captain duty was done._

_“Who knew I made such an impression” Chakotay said, his arms coming around Kathryn’s waist as hers went around his neck._

_“It seems you make an impression on most of the women in your life in one way or another Commander” Kathryn joked, “And what about these rumours you have been hiding from your Captain about an illicit affair going on? That is vital ships business that she needs to know about”_

_“It would appear, Captain, that the majority of the crew believe that their Command team have been involved in a romantic relationship since they returned from the planet dubbed New Earth, however some believe that it started sooner than that although there is speculation on that date”_

_“Ah I see, well there is no point in putting speculative data in a report Commander” She smiled again, Chakotay smiled back pleased to see that her good humour had returned after the emotional turmoil of the last few days._

_“My thoughts exactly Captain” He laughed_

_Giving him a quick peck and leaning back in his arms, Kathryn looked at her First officer, friend, ex-marquis renegade, her angry warrior and now lover, her saviour from both physical and metaphorical dangers and her silent support in every decision she had made in the Delta Quadrant. “I couldn’t imagine life without you... still”_

_“And if I have anything to say about it you won’t have to” Chakotay smiled, “Right Captain, after 2 days off I believe we have work to do and a Vulcan Security Officer who needs relieving of command. Voyager awaits the return of her Captain”_

_Kathryn nodded, and slipped out of Chakotay’s arms. “Your right Commander, as usual... Oh and Chakotay, lets allow the rumours to end themselves, I am quite happy with the crew finding out the truth for themselves in their own time. Is that OK?”_

_“Of course, all I care about is that I have Kathryn behind closed doors and I will continue to be the Captain’s First Officer” He stated, Kathryn smiled and then allowed her Command mask to slip in to place, and walked out of the Ready Room._

_“Captain on the Bridge” Mr Kim called from his station. Janeway nodded, and took her seat on the centre stage with Chakotay on her left as always._

_“Report” She ordered._


End file.
